


A Hero's Grit

by WillWork4Bacon



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, Magic, Political Alliances, Revenge, Role change, Storyline change, Thieves Guild
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-27
Updated: 2014-03-14
Packaged: 2017-12-24 19:18:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 46,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/943680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WillWork4Bacon/pseuds/WillWork4Bacon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John Egbert is an Imperial visiting his sister from the Imperial City. He gets into trouble with the Empire on the way, and finds out he is Dragonborn. He'll make some friends along the way in order to save Tamriel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A young Imperial man was working at the Sassacre Forge in the Imperial City. He was a young man who had just reached the age of 18. He had a lighter skin tone than most imperials, messy black hair, and buck teeth protruding from his mouth. His blue eyes were concentrated on the iron sword he was currently making. He had worked there as an apprentice for a couple years. His family owned the forge, and it was his plan to one day own it as well. He hammered the hot iron a few more times before taking the sword over to the sharpening wheel. He ground it fine and sharp to make an excellent iron sword. He put it in a pile with the other one he made that day and headed inside. The grumpy shopkeeper Karkat was at the counter. Karkat was a close friend of John, and was teh only one not family working at the Sassacre Forge. Karkat was a troll, and there were quite a few in the Imperial City. not much was really known about the Troll race, but those stories of them coming down from an alien space craft in the 1st era are probably fake. John's older cousin Jake was stocking display cases around the store. "Hello John, all finished with your work?"Jake greeted him.

"Yeah, i'm all finished for the week." John said as he took off his gloves and apron. "Where's my dad?"

"Ah, he went out for lunch not too long ago. Want to say goodbye before your long trip tomorrow?" Jake asked as he locked up a case full of steel daggers.

"Yeah, it'll be nice to see Jade again though, I haven't seen her in so long." John put his apron and gloves in the back room and walked out into the main part of the store again. "I'll tell her you said hi too Karkat, we all know yo had a crush on her back when we were kids." That remark was net with Karkat flipping John the bird. John chuckled to himself. He may be grumpy, but they had Karkat around for a reason. Someone walked into the store and places a sword snapped in two on the counter. "Hey, your shitty sword broke, I want a refund." Karkat just kept leaning on the counter and looked up at the guy.

"Ok, first off, do you think i'm some kind of fucking idiot or nook kisser? Because you'd be wrong on both accounts. This is an Orcish sword, do we look like Orcs to you? John, is your dad an Orc?"

"Uhhh, no." John stammered trying to to get caught in the argument.

"Exactly, we don't make Orcish weapons, this isn't ours. Second, how the fuck did you even mange to break an Orcish sword? Did you piss off a Daedra or something stupid?" The man just stood there shooting an angry look at Karkat.

"I'm telling you, I got this sword here." The Imperial man tried to tell Karkat.

"Really? Because do you know what I see here?" Karkat took the handle half and pointed at a small sign engraved on the hilt. "That's not our engraving, nor is it where we put ours. That's the mark for Dushkin Yal. You got this blade in Skyrim, and then somehow actually manged to break an Orcish sword. Now get your dumb ass out of this shop." After being humiliated, the man took the two sword pieces and left. John and Jake were left speechless after witnessing that display. After a small moment of silence Jake spoke up, "And that's why we keep you around Karkat." He joked Karkat responded with a low growl.

The next day, John headed out early for Skyrim. He went to one of the steeds his family owned and took it. He rode off North into Skyrim to visit his sister Jade. It had been nearly 3 years since she left. He had written her and planned the trip ahead. It would be nice to see his sister after such a long time. He rode off north to Skyrim.

John awoke with a jolt. He was riding in the back of a carriage with his hands tied together. There was an Imperial soldier driving and another carriage in front. Two soldiers on horse were on both the front and back of the convoy. John looked around to examine his surroundings. There were three other men in the same carriage. One burly man with long blonde hair, one next to John with his mouth gagged, and a third wearing rags. All the men were Nords. The man across from John spoke to him. "You're finally awake. You were caught in that imperial ambush along with the rest of us." John was confused and didn't know what to say. "You were trying to cross the border into Skyrim right?"

"Yeah... I was coming to visit my sister." John told the man.

"Ay, you picked a bad time to come to Skyrim." The man in rags spoke up then.

"Damn you Stormcloaks, the empire was fine until you showed up. I could have stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell."

"We are all brothers in binds now." The blonde told the man in rags.

"Stormclocks?" John asked curiously. Everyone in the back fixed their gaze on John.

"You're not from here right?" The blonde Nord asked.

"No, i'm an apprentice at a forge in the Imperial City." John told him.

"Well i'm sure you know the ban of the worship of Talos." John nodded. "Well some of us in Skyrim don't like that law, and the damn Thalmor are taking people away for worshiping Talos. So our leader here, Alfred Stormcloak, leads a rebellion against the empire for bowing to the whims of the Thalmor. Sadly, it seems our efforts were in vain." The ragged man's eyes went wide at hearing that last part.

"Ulfric Stormcloak?" He turned to the man with the gag "You're the leader of the rebellion, if they're captured you... oh gods, where are they taking us?"

"I don't know, but Sovngarde awaits." The blonde said rather calmly. The convoy came up upon a town. John had no clue where he was and he was scared more than he had ever been. He knew what was going to happen and couldn't believe it. He was only 18 and about to die. He had accidentally gotten mixed up for a rebel and was about to be executed. His breath rapidly increased and he could feel the fear growing up in his gut. The carriage rolled into the town. There were people stopping and watching as the convoy came to town. The man in the back with gold armor trailed off. It looked like he was talking to some High Elves in black robes. "Damn Thalmor, and there's General Tulius off to plot with them." The blonde said at noticing that. He then noticed John seemed to have a lot on his mind with the whole situation. "Hey, what are you doing in Skyrim?" The man asked John.

"I came to visit my sister, she moved up here and joined the Companions." The man went a little wide eyed at that.

"A companion eh? Well at least there's someone who can carry honor on in your family." As the man said that the carriage stopped by a tower. Everyone began to exit the vehicles and were ordered to line up. There was an officer and soldier with a list in front of the line made by the carriage John was in. The soldier began to call out names. "Ralof of Riverwood." The blonde man stepped out and taken to stand in front of the executioner. "Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm." The gagged man stepped out. "Lokir of Rorikstead." The man in rags walked up to him.

"Please, i'm not a rebel, you can't do this." He began to run off and the officer ordered him to stop. She then yelled for the archers and the man was shot down. "Anyone else feel like running?" John thought about it for a little. He was thinking it would be faster and less gruesome to just be shot down by an arrow. He then decided he should at least face his death with some courage and decided not to. "You there, step forward." John did so as instructed by the soldier. "Who are you?" he asked.

"My name's John Egbert, i'm from the Imperial City. Please I was just coming to visit my sister, she's a Companion." The soldier was a Nord and took notice of the last part. "Sir, what should we do? If he's related to one of the Companions we could have an uproar."

"He goes the to block just like everyone else." The Captain ordered. John felt a little disheartened at hearing that, but he never really thought that would work. "Yes sire. I'm sorry, we'll make sure your remains are returned to Cyrodil." The soldier told John. "Follow the Captain prisoner." The officer walked off and John followed her and stood in the crowd of prisoners. There was an executioner standing in front along with the captain and a priest of Arkay. General Tulis was mocking Ulfric for being caught before he stepped away. The captain ordered the priest "Give them their last rites." The priest began to speak, "As we commend your souls to Aetherius, the blessing of the 8 divines be upon you..." She was cut off when a rebel stepped up and yelled out "for the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with."

"As you wish." The priest said. The rebel knelled down and put his neck to the block. Everyone was quiet as the axe man raised his weapon. He brought it down with a thud as he cut off the head of the Stormcloak. . His body was kicked down by the captain. A rebel yelled out "You imperial bastards!" Followed by a citizen nearby yelling "Death to the Stormcloaks." Ralof just commented "As fearless in death as he was in life."

"Next, the renegade from Cyrodil." A strange noise that sounded like a roar was head and everyone looked up and around. "What was that?" The solider asked. The captain barked at him "I said, next prisoner!"

"Up to the block prisoner, nice and easy." John walked up to face his death. His mind raced as he walked up to the block. He was standing in front of it with fear filling his gut. He knelled down and he saw the executioner. He held his axe up...

Then as if by some miracle if you could call it that, a dragon swooped down and landed on the tower. There was a lot of commotion as everyone panicked. Except the executioner. For whatever reason the executioner seemed unaware there was a dragon behind him. Maybe he was hard at hearing and didn't notice, or maybe he was incredibly bloodthirsty and borderline insane and not fit to be wielding such a large axe in the first place. In any case, the dragon let out a shot which sent him flying forward and John tumbled off the chopping block.


	2. Escape

John got onto his feet quick as small meteors rained down around him. "Hey you, get up." Ralof was there and helped him. "Come on, we've got to get out of here. Follow me." He ran and led john into another tower. Ulfric closed the door behind them. He was no longer gagged and his hands were free. There were a few other surviving Stormcloaks in the tower. "Jarl Ulfirc, was that really a dragon? Just like in the children's books and legends?" Ralof asked.

"Legends don't burn down villages." The dragon roared again. "We need to move now." the Jarl yelled out. "This way." Ralof led John upstairs. A rebel was trying to move bricks to make an opening. Then the dragon burst its head through the wall and killed the man. "Get back!" Ralof and John kept back as the monster breathed fire into the tower. He then flew off and John and Ralof came upon a gaping hole in the tower. There was an inn not that far down. "See that inn on the other side? Jump through the roof, we'll meet on the other side." John hesitated at the sight for a few seconds. But his life was in danger and he had to act. He stepped back a bit and jumped through a hole in the roof. He manged to stay on his feet and kept running. He fell down on his feet on the ground floor and left the burning structure. He aw an old man hiding behind a building and the soldier from before. He called for a child to come over. The child ran over and the dragon landed. "Gods, everyone get back." The soldier ran behind the house quick as the dragon breathed more fire at his direction. It flew off once more and changed its target. "You still alive prisoner? Follow me if you want to stay that way." John obediently agreed and followed him. They came up between a wall and house when the monster landed on the wall. They both ducked as the monster shot out more fire from its mouth. It flew off without even noticing them. The soldier led john through a destroyed burning house and out the other side. There were archers and mages throwing firebolts at the dragon. John kept following the soldier around and soon ran into Ralof again. "Ralof you damn traitor, out of my way."

"We're escaping Hadvar, there's nothing you can do about it." They both headed different ways and both called for John. John stopped to think who to follow. He was raised in the Imperial City and was loyal to the empire. He decided to follow Hadvor into the Helgen keep. Once inside Hadvor locked the door behind them. "Alright, I think we got away from that. That was a dragon wasn't it? Just like the stories." He walked over to John. "Here, let me get those binds off you." He pulled a dagger off a table and cuts the rope around John's wrists. John rubbed them after feeling free from his bindings. "There's some weapons over there, take your pick in case we need to fight our way out." John went over and browsed the weapon rack. Hadvar went over to the table and searched it. He found a key to get out of the room and picked it up. He walked over to the door and found John wielding a rather large iron warmhammer. "A little big for you isn't it?"

"Kinda, but I work with hammers all the time so it's kinda natural." John told him trying to wield the hammer as best he could. He took a strap off the rack nearby so he could hold his hammer on his back when he was not using it. Hadvar unlocked the door out which led to a hallway. There was a single right turn which led to a gate into a large circular room. They heard a man and a woman talking in the room. "Stormcloaks, lets see if we can reason with them." He pulled a lever to open the door and it raised up. As soon as they were seen, the two stormcloaks attacked. One had a greatsword and attacked Hadvar. The other with a sword and shield went after John. John had never actually fought before but he had some semblance of knowledge. John raised his hammer high and swung straight down. The rebel tried to block and he blocked most of the attack, but it was so powerful it caused him to slip and fall on his back. Once stunned John struck like that again and it hit the stormcloak right under the breastplate and killed him. The other swung at Hadvar but he ducked and went straight for the kill, lunging forward and easily stabbing through the light chainmail of the stormcloak. He fell down and Hadvar saw John was successful as well. "Good, now lets get going." He unlocked the next door and they headed down curved stairs. They came upon a hallways which collapsed in front of them. They heard the dragon roar as it fell. "Damn dragon's tearing apart the whole keep." He went into the storage room to the left. "Let's go." John headed in and they saw two Stormcloaks going through barrels. The one noticed them enter. "Imperials!" he cried as he attacked John. This one had a greatsword and John just blocked the attacks from the heavy sword. The other reached for his warhammer he set down next to the barrel he was searching. Hadvar jumped in his way and stabbed the man in the left lung. He turned back to check on john. John made and sideways swipe which the other man stepped back from. He raised his sword to attack John, but was stabbed in the back by Hadvar. He dropped the sword which clattered on the ground and he fell as well. "I thought were better than that." Hadvar remarked.

"Sorry, i've actually never fought before." John told him.

"See if there are any potions we can use in here." Hadvar told him before walking to the door. John searched the barrel the rebel was looking through when they entered. He found minor health and stamina potions and took them. He rejoined Hadvar who asked "Ready?" before leaving for the next part of the keep. They headed down more stairs and came upon a torture room. "Gods, I wish we didn't need these things." Hadvar said. There was an elderly torturer and his assistant fighting off two rebels. The older man was a mage and shooting lightning as the one attacking him. The rebel swung with a greatsword and Hadvar stepped in under the sword. He stabbed the rebel in the gut. The assistant was not to lucky. He swung a mace but the rebel blocked it with his shield then struck the man across the face with his shield. While stunned, the rebel delivered a fatal slash and killed the assistant. John lunged and brought his hammer straight down like before. The rebel raised his shield but John struck harder this time. There was a snap as the man's arm broke from trying to block. He fell to his knees and John raised his hammer to strike sideways. He hit the rebel in the side of the head and he went down. Hadvar sheathed his sword after it was over. "Come on, wee need to get out of here. A dragon's attacking." He said to the torturer.

"I'm not going anywhere." The old torturer responded.

"Didn't you hear me? A dragon's attacking the keep."

"A dragon, please. I don't have time for such foolery. But you're welcome to help me with my work if you'd like." He walked away from Hadvar, who turned to John. "Come on, let's get out of here." He led John down a hall of cells and left he old man behind. They hallway exited into another room full of cages. Hadvar led John through that room and to a cave that formed at the end of the room. They entered the cave which was a naturally formed cave. They came into a room with some flooring and a bridge put into it and encountered a large group of Stormcloaks. One noticed them and John and Hadvar had no choice but to attack. Hadvar went down to take on two and John went straight to battle one on a small bridge. John swung sideways and hit the rebel on the temple and killed him. He fell off the bridge. Hadvar began a series of block and attacks against the Stormcloaks. One slipped up and Hadvar managed to slash his gut open and deliver a finishing slash. Another rebel attacked John. John swung his hammer and the rebel stepped back from it. John the kept a block up. The Stormcloak swung an axe and John blocked him. Then he shoved and the Stormcloak fell off the edge and landed on his back. John jumped and brought his hammer down. The rebel rolled out of the way to dodge John's attack. He picked up his axe and went into attack position. He was then stabbed in the back by Hadvar, who had killed both rebels he was fighting. They were about to leave when two more Stormcloaks came from the exit and drew bows. John and Hadvar took cover as arrows were fired at them. Hadvar drew a bow and looked up quick to see them. John looked up too an noticed something. "Alright, i'm going to take them out. Just stay down." Hadvar told him.

"Wait, I have an idea." John told him. John picked up a rock nearby. He tossed it up in the air above the two Stormcloaks. It hit a lamp above them and the lamp fell. The ground was coated in oil from another lamp leaking and the rebels were standing it it. The oil burst into flames and both rebels caught fire. The both flailed around as the were on fire. "Good job, now let's go." Hadvar put his bow back and left. There wasn't much oil so the fire went out quickly. The two rebels however, did not and were burned to death. John and Hadvar ran past as they screamed, John tried to ignore the thought but it seemed a lot more cruel after he had done it. They crossed a wooden bridge into a larger part of the cave. The dragon roared again and a huge boulder destroyed the bridge behind them. "Glad that didn't come down on us." Hadvar remarked as they walked away. They walked down a bit farther into the cave until it railed off to a path on the right. There were spiderwebs all over the room. There were a few web sacs but the room was empty otherwise. John and Hadvar walked along the room until Hadvar stopped in the middle. He turned to John and drew his sword. "John... don't move." John wasn't sure what he he meant. John turned around and almost fell down right there. A spider about 6 feet wide and almost 3 feet tall was coming down from the ceiling. He yelled as loud as he could and brought his hammer down on it. Then he did so again... and again, and again. Another descended behind Hadvar and he turned and stabbed it as it came down. John panted after he finally stopped pounding the already dead spider. "What in Nirn are those things?" He cried out.

"Frostbite spiders, native to Skyrim. Don't worry, they creep me out too. Too many eyes, you know." Hadvar led him out of the spider nest and into another large room where they came upon a sleeping bear. Hadvar crouched to sneak. "Hold up, it's a bear. I'd rather not tangle with her right now."

"Yeah, let's sneak around." John whispered back. He crouched down and they both watched their step as they walked around the bear. The room was rather large so they didn't need to get close and they easily avoided the bear. They made sure not to step on anything around that might wake they bear. They were able to carefully sneak past him and get to an exit. "Thank the gods, just when I was starting to think we would never get out of here." He ran ahead and John ran as well to leave the cave.

When they got out, Hadvar had him duck once more as the dragon flew away. He waited until it was out of sight to leave. "I don't think he's coming back, but we shouldn't hang around to find out." Hadvar began to walk off. "The nearest town to here is Riverwood, you should make your way there."

"Wait." John cried out and Hadvar stopped. "I don't know where anything is, if you're headed there can we team up?" Hadvar thought about it. This prisoner really didn't know anything so maybe he should hang around him to town. "Alright, let's go." John caught up and they both walked to Riverwood.


	3. A Hero's Journey Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first challenge on John's adventure begins.

John and Hadvar walked down the side of the side of the mountain to Riverwood. It wasn't a steep trail, but it was long and curved many different ways. John was simply following behind Hadvar since this whole region was new to him. The air was much colder than it was in Cyrodil and he was not used to seeing so much snow. He wasn't even in Skyrim for a whole day, and already this whole land seemed so hostile and unforgiving. He kept following Hadvar down the trail. It was quiet so John decided to start asking some questions. "Hey... Hadvar?"

"Hmm? What is it prisoner?"

"Ok, my name is John, but can you tell me what's going on with this whole rebellion?"

"Aye, the Stormcloaks. They're unhappy about the ban on Talos worship. Their leader, Ulfric Stormcloak, the man you met back there, he decided to fight back. He was already in trouble before for unlawfully having his soldiers in The Reach."

"What's The Reach?" John asked.

"It's one of the holds of Skyrim. The holds have capital cities and Jarls that govern them. The Jarls are led by the High King. But Ulfric rebelled. He went to Solitude, the headquarters of the Empire in Skyrim and capital of the hold Haafingar. He went into High King Torygg's and challenged him. Then he shouted him to death." John was taken aback by that last part.

"Wait, he shouted him to death? How does that even work?"

"Have you ever heard of the Thu'um?" Hadvar asked him.

"No, can't say I have. Why, what is it?"

"It's an ancient art of using your voice to attack like dragons once did." John was in awe at hearing this. To think one could kill a man with his voice.

"So is that what started this?"

"Yes. But it's not all as it seems. Ulfric really just wants to be High King. He's using that as his rally cry to take the throne himself. He's even offed the High King to do so." John began to think about all this to himself, and who was really right in all this. Then Hadvar stopped at three stone pillars by a curve in the road. "These are the Guardian Stones, said to watch over and protect the people of Skyrim. Go one, pick one." John walked up in between them and recognized the symbols. The Theif, The Mage, and The Warrior. John already knew which he was going to pick. He walked over to The Warrior stone and touched it. It glowed at his touch as he accepted the sign. "Warrior huh? I knew you didn't belong in that carriage the minute I saw you." Hadvar continued to lead John down to Riverwood. They were walking along a river so he assumed it was close. On the path there a pack of three wolves attacked them. They weren't much of a threat and John and Hadvar defended against them easily. Riverwood wasn't that far from there and they soon arrived in the small town. It was a very small town with few people in it. There was a forge on the left of the path that ran through the town. It reminded John of home a little. Hadvar led him to the forge to and walked up to the blacksmith. "Uncle Alvor, hello." The blacksmith who was a larger man with brown hair and a rough bread looked up at Hadvar. "Hadvar, what are you doing here?" He walked away from the forge and saw Hadvar was covered in dirt and looked like he just came from battle. "Gods boy what happened to you? And who's this?" He motioned at John.

"I'll tell you more when we get inside." Hadvar responded. Alvor did not say anything. He instead nodded and lead John and Hadvar inside. The house was warm and inviting and even though they were strangers, John felt welcomed inside. "Sigrid, we have company." Alvor called as he and Hadvar sat down. John just stood there and tried not to attract too much attention. A woman and young girl came up stairs from the other side of the room. "Who is it?" She saw Hadvar sitting there and was surprised to see him. "Hadvar, what are you doing here?".  
eir  
"Well it's a long story, I don't really know where to begin." Sigird went to go look for something to make for their guests. "You know I was assigned on General Tulius' lead. We had captured a group of Stormcloaks and stopped at Helgen when we were attacked, by a Dragon." Sigrid dropped a wooden plate at the last part.

"Mara's mercy, a dragon?!"

"Aye, a dragon!"

"Well what happened after that boy?" Alvor asked.

"The town became chaotic, everything was madness. I managed to escape somehow, doubt I would have made it out alive if it wasn't for my friend here."

"If that dragon's around he could be here any minute!" Sigrid was panicking.

"I'm sure Riverwood will be safe dear. Once the Jarl hears about this i'm sure he'll send troops."

"Actually, I think we were the only ones who made it out. Unless that dragon passes over Dragonsreach I doubt the Jarl will know." Hadvar said which made them worry and sadden. That is except John who was lost again.

"What's Dragonsreach?" He asked.

"It's the palace where the Jarl lives, it's in Whiterun." Hadvar told him.

"Oh, I was headed there. I could tell him for you."

"Thank you. You've done so much for us, let me pay you back for it." Alvot told him. A few minutes later, John came up from the basement wearing studded armor and iron boots and gauntlets. "It's uh... a little heavy." john commented. He had never worn armor before and it felt very odd to him.

"It will take some getting used to, but that armor should protect you well." Alvor told him. "Now if you need to get to Whiterun, take the road out of town and follow the river. It'll be on a hill to your left, you can't miss it." John thanked Alvor for the armor and was given a few supplies as well. He headed out and left for Whiterun. It wasn't an eventful journey there. It was just as cold as it was coming down from Helgen. He enjoyed the view of the plains region more as it reminded him somewhat of home. He saw the city of Whiterun and headed across the river to get to it. Once he crossed the bridge he noticed the smell from the meadery. The thick honey aroma was very inviting and he made a mental note to stop there sometime during his stay. He continued along the path noticing the farm nearby and the guards outside the town. Their outfits were much different than that of the Imperial guards. You couldn't see the faces on any of these men. John came up to the town gate where to guards stood watch. The one was leaning against the wall and greeted John with. "Afternoon Imperial." John nodded as he headed inside. It looked big on the inside. There were white houses scattered all about, and a small market at the path in front of John. He headed forward into it. He looked around town seeing all the new sites. He looked out of place because of it though, and he was. Jon Battle-Born, who was leaning on a post nearby noticed. "You lost?" He asked. John turned around to him.

"Uhh, yeah. I'm trying to find Jorrvaskr." He told the Battle-Born.

"Ah, on our way to join the Companions are we?" Jon asked him.

"No, my sister's a Companion, and i'm visiting her from Cyrodil."

"Ah, I see. Well Jorrvaskr is up those stairs and on the right, the building that's roof looks like an upside down ship."

"Ok, thanks." John headed up the stairs and into the next circle. He saw more steps (jeez, what's with all these steps? All this land and they build the town on a huge hill?) that led to Jorrvaskr. He headed up them and looked at the building. It did look like an upside down ship just like Jon and Jade said it would. He took a deep breath outside to not appear nervous in front of all those brave warriors. He opened up double doors and headed inside. There was sounds of the Companions talking and sharing stories. There was a large table with warriors feasting on mead and meat. A larger man wearing armor John had never seen before came up to him. He had white hair and a shaggy beard. "Hello, welcome to Jorrvaskr, i'm Kodlak Whiteman, harbinger of the Companions. What brings you here?"

"I..." John was cut off right there by his sister Jade jumping on him and smothering him with a hug. "John! I'm so glad to see you again!" She had him in a choke hug and nearly pulled him to the ground. She always was more adventurous as a kid, and therefore more fit that he was. But her time in the Companions made her even stronger. "You know this one?" Kodlak asked her.

"Yeah, Kodlak this my brother John."

"Ah, well kin are most welcomed here. I see you must be a bit of an adventurer too." Kodlak greeted him.

"What? No he's..." Jade backed up and got a better look at him. "John, why are you wearing armor?" He rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Yeah... some things happened on my way here."

"Ohhhh, I see. Go on your own adventure did we?" Jade teased.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Well lets hear it, we always love a good story." Kodlak brought John to the table where some were eating. "Everyone, listen up." The room went quiet and everyone focused on Kodlak. "This here is Jade's brother John. It seems he encountered his first taste of danger in Skyrim. Let's hear his story." Everyone turned their attention to John which made him feel awkward.

"Well I don't really know what happened when it began but..." He tried to bring himself to tell the story, hoping they would not think of him a madman. "I was on my way here from Cyrodil to visit my sister, when I was jumped by Imperial troops and mistaken for a Stormcloak." There was an 'Oh on.' heard from Jade. "They captured Ulfric Stormcloak and were taking us to Helgen. I was about to be executed... when a dragon attacked." A bald man with a scar over his eye (aka Skjor) spit out his mead and coughed for breath.

"Did you just say a dragon attacked?" Asked Farkas.

"Yeah..." John stammered.

"Dragons haven't been seen since the 3rd era, do you really expect us to believe it?" He said.

"It's true." John defended. Then two more Companions, Vilkas and Aela, walked in. "Everyone, we have some news." All attention was now on them. "We were just on our way back and we went to stop in Helgen but we found it destroyed. It was rumble and ashes." Gasps and murmurs went around the room.

"So, it's true then." Kodlak though aloud.

"What's true?" Vilkas asked. Kodlak walked over to John.

"This here is John, Jade's brother. He told us he was in Helgen when it was attacked, and that it was a dragon."

"A dragon?! I could believe it from what I saw, but it's quite a lot to take in." Vilkas said surprised.

"Aye, John I think you need to tell the Jarl this."

"Yeah, I was needing to head up there because the blacksmith in Riverwood wanted me to asked for more troops over there." John followed Kodlak out . He headed up even more stairs and up to was greeted with respect from the guards as he led Johni into the palace. John admired how large and nice it was. He noticed a blonde Nord sitting on a throne talking to an Imperial. A Dark Elf was standing on the other side as if to guard him. She nodded when she saw Kodlak approaching though. The Jarl noticed him and smiled a little. "Kodlak, always a pleasure to see you." Kodlak bowed to him.

"And an honor to you my Jarl. I brought you a traveler who has something to tell you." He backed up and the Jarl eyed John.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Well it's that uh... Helgen was destroyed by a dragon." the Jarl went silent for a little.

"I'm sorry, I must have misheard you. Did you say a dragon?"

"Yes sir, er... my Jarl."

"It's true, two of my men reported that Helgen was destroyed and burned." Kodlak told him. The Jarl seemed distressed over this news.

"Gods, can it really be true?" The Jarl said. Then the doors opened and a guard came running in.

"Jarl Balgruuf." He came up to him and panted out of breath when he got there. "There's trouble, a dragon flying over the western watchtower." There were gasps from the other guards. "I see..." The Jarl said. "Irileth, take some men and go defend the western watchtower." He pointed to John. "And take him with you."

"Wait, what?" John cried out.

"You've dealt with this dragon more than anyone. If anyone knows how to take it out it'll be you."

"But, but..." John was at a loss for words. Irileth ran out were her sword and called for him. John followed her since he was at a loss of words. He followed her out and went to the front gate where 5 guards had gathered. Irileth had to give them a prep talk before facing the dragon, as none of them had even seen a dragon before. She then led the group, with John in the back, to the western watchtower. They stopped nearby to examine the scene. They tower had a huge hole in the third floor and the walls around it were destroyed. There were patches of fire around the area. "I don't see any dragon, but it sure looks like it's been here." They began to spread out and search the area with their weapons drawn. John walked up to the tower and saw a guard without his helmet crouched in the doorway. "Get down, that dragon could still be around somewhere." A roar was heard in the air. "Talos save us, here he comes again." John looked up and heard it again. He saw a large black mass from the horizon began to fly closer and closer to the sight. Another guard blew a horn to signal battle. Arrows were fired form all over at the dragon which swooped over their heads. The dragon shot fire down and john jumped down and hid behind a well next to Irileth.

"This your first time seeing battle?" She asked him.

"No, but nothing this intense!" He cried.

"Well then, time to learn." She looked over the side of the wall and shot lightning from her hand into the dragon's face. He flinched and landed face first in the dragon pulled itself up and turned to fight. It shot flames out as Irileth ducked for cover. John came around the other wide of the wall and slammed his hammer into the dragon's face. It then snapped its powerful jaws at him. John fell back on his ass and dropped his hammer. Irileth jumped out to save him and slashed at the beast's wings. It bit at her and she caught her sword in its jaws. The two were locked in combat like that while the guards fired a barrage of arrows. John got back on his feet and picked the iron warhammer back up. He charged and jumped high. He brought the hammer down on the dragon's neck like a guillotine. It snapped the dragon's powerful neck and with one half-roar the dragon slouched down dead. Irileth got her sword out of its maw ans sheathed it. The guards walked over and circled the body. "By gods, we did it... we killed a dragon." A guard said.

"That was some damn fine shooting boys, well done." John examined the dragon quietly. Something was off...

"This isn't the same dragon." There was a roar of moans from the guards.

"Are you serious?" Irileth asked him astonished.

"Yeah, the one that attacked Helgen was black and spiky, and he was bigger and meaner looking. But I don't understand how..."

"Wait, what's it doing?" She cut him off as the dragon's body seemed as if it was starting to burn. It burned more and then strange light come out of it and circled John. He stood there not knowing what was going on. The light circled around him more and the flesh of the dragon simply burned away. After it was all over the body was nothing but skeletal remains. Everyone stood there speechless. "What just happened?" John asked.

"I think I might know..." A guard said...

"...And that's what happened." John finished telling the Jarl of what happened at the watchtower. The Jarl sat there with a look of disbelief on his face. But he could tell by the look on John that he wasn't lying. He had the look of someone that really just happened to. "So what do you make of it?" The Jarl went silent for a moment.

"Tell me, have you ever heard of Dragonborn?" The Jarl asked.

"You mean like the Septims are?"

"Yes, exactly. They are man but with the mortal end soul of a dragon. If a Dragonborn kills a dragon, he absorbs its soul."

"Wait, so that thing from it was its soul?"

"Yes, you make sure they are permanently dead. The dragon souls should make you more powerful."

"But I still don't understand." The Jarl turned his attention to his houecarl.

"Irileth, bring Kodlak to me." She nodded and headed out. "I don't know how this came about either, but if you truly are Dragonborn, then you are the only hope we've got." This was a lot for John. He had traveled to Skyrim to visit his sister he hadn't seen in years. Now he was the sole hope of mankind against the dragon menace. He didn't know what else to say and went silent. His thoughts were interrupted when the large doors of Dragonsreach opened as Irileth walked in with Kodlak. He apporached the throne and bowed to the Jarl.

"Hello my Jarl, how may I serve you?"

"Kodlak, I have a job for you. Our friend here was successful in slaying the dragon at the western watchtower. But, it turns out he is dragonborn."

"Truly? Is he really Dragonborn?"

"According to what Irileth and he has reported to me, yes. However, he's greener than the grass. I need you to train him and shape him into a proper warrior for his journey."

"Wait, what?" John asked but was ignored.

"As you my Jarl." Kodlak turned to John. "Well son, you're in the Companions now. Training starts tomorrow, i'd suggest you get some rest. You have a big day ahead of you." Kodlak waled out and returned to Jorrvaskr. John was left there speechless again. He was beginning to wonder if it was a good idea to come at all.


	4. Family Secrets

John awoke with a start when Jade began jumping up and down on him. "John! Wake up, wake up, wake up!" He shifted from his back to his side and tried to fall back asleep. "Uhh, but it's so early.

"It's only 7 you lazy bum, now get up. Time to eat then train" She pulled his covers hard and he fell out of bed with them. "Now get up." She left the room where he was staying with a few other Companions. He pulled himself up and took his warhammer off the weapon rack. He put it in its holster on his back and headed upstairs. The room smelled of mead and meat. He took a place next to Jade and looked at the food. It looked amazing, like a meal fit for a king. He took a plate of two slaughterfish slabs and a sweetroll. The food was as amazing as it looked. He stuffed his face to prepare for the day ahead. Aela came over in front of them. "Hi Aela!" Jade greeted her.

"Hello sister." She replied. She turned to John. "So, this is the welp then?"

"Wait, what?" John asked with half a mouth full of food.

"Don't worry, it's just a term we use for new recruits, and yes!"

"Well then, Dragonborn or not, well still expect a lot of you. Don't disappoint." And with that she walked away and John was left confused.

"Don't worry about her, she means well she just wants to push the welps, err I mean newcomers, to be all they can." Jade reassured him. They continued to eat and when they finished they went out to train. Jade asked Vilkas to size John up and give him some help. He agreed and met John in the yard with a sword and shield. "Alright, show me what you've got. Don't worry, I can handle it." John still felt a little uneasy but took out his hammer regardless. He struck two not so hard blows which Vilkas easily blocked. "You have potential for strength, but.." John swung against but Vilkas struck up on the hammer with his shield, John held it up by one hand in the air. He didn't have to worry about losing control of it, because next Vilkas turned his back and stepped in to John. He swung his leg behind John's foot and swept up while pushing hard against John's shoulder, causing him to lose balance and fall hard on the ground while the hammer skidded to the side. "If you don't know what you're doing, you'll die in real battle." He held his hand down and helped John back on his feet. "Now again, this time strike form the side and turn your hips as you." John struck again as Vilkas instructed. "Good, but more in your hips. If you're using a weapon like that draw power from your waist." John tired again and spent some time practicing his swing. After about half and hour passed Vilkas stopped him. "Good, now let's take you out for a test."

Jade sat on a downed tree next to Vilkas. "Thanks for helping Vilkas." She said as she reached around in her knapsack.

"Well if he is Dragonborn, he needs all the help he can get."

"Yeah, it's kinda weird though. My brother is the Dragonborn. I never thought something like that would ever happen. I brought some treats, want any?" She pulled out cream tarts and offered them. Vilkas shook his head.

"No thanks."

"How about you John?" John could not answer as he was busy running away from a bear.

"Jade, this isn't funny!" He jumped over a log to try and escape the pursuit.

"Come on John, kick his ass!" John turned and the bear stood on two feet and roared. John swung his hammer and the bear deflected with his claws. John kept running. Jade sighed knowing he wouldn't win. She got up to help. John turned back and kept running. He then saw Jade in mid-air. She did a flying double kick and knocked the bear down, and made him roll backwards. The bear stood up again and both it and Jade yelled. It tried to swung but Jade did another jump kick and knocked it on it's back. It tried to get up which was met with a spinning jump kick to the head. The bear then turned and got up, running away. "Yeah, you better run!" She shouted. She then offered her hand and helped John up.

"Overkill much?" He asked her. She just laughed and gave him his hammer back.

"Alright, maybe that's a little too much for you." Vilkas told him. "I'll have you take on a job we were given that should be easier. Go with my brother Vilkas to Windhelm, someone needs some muscle over there and paid us to help." They all traveled back to Whiterun together from the woods near Riverwood. When they got to the carriage Vilkas told John to wait there until Farkas came down. So he did and after a few minutes a bulky Nord with long black hair and steel armor came down. John knew that was Farkas. "So, you must be the new blood." Farkas said to him. "We're going to Windhelm to help settle an argument, are you ready?"

"Yeah." John replied. They both got in the back of the carriage and rode to Windhelm. It was about a 6 hour ride to the city, and the sun was going down by the time they arrived. They entered the large city gates and John looked around. It was much colder there than in Whiterun, snow covered the ground and roofs. John followed Vilkas to a fire pit where two men were standing by, warming themselves up. "Which one of you is Rolff Stone-Fist?" He asked. A man in a cap walked over to him. "I am, what off it?"

"We've been asked to deal with you attacking Dark Elfs."

Rolff crossed his arms. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, now are you going to back off or are we going to have to settle this?"

"I ain't settling nothing with no damn gray skin lover." He put up his fists as did Farkas. Rolff threw the first punch which Farkas blocked. Farkas struck him in the shoulder pretty hard which made Rolff stumble back. Farkas was much bigger than he was. Rolff friend then tried to jump in. John decided he should help. John tried to stop the man from getting at Farkas, but John had no clue what he was doing. He had only one idea. Then the man threw a jab, John stepped to the side and spun in. He pulled the same move Vilkas pulled on him at training. He swept up and pushed back. Then man lost balance and fell off a ledge, hitting his head below and keeping him down. Farkas managed to beat down Rolff easily. It wasn't long before Rolff surrendered after a beating. "Are you going to do as we as know?"

"Fine, i'll leave the damn vermin alone." Rolff limped away and Farkas and John left. The took the same carriage back. "That was a pretty good move back there, where did you learn it?"

"Oh, Vilkas used it one me this morning during training."

"Well, you learn quick then."

"Thanks." The rest of the ride was quiet there was one point when they got into the Whiterun hold when they started talking again.

"You know, you have a lot of responsibility being the Dragonborn."

"Yeah, I know. I mean I really didn't want this. I just like wake up one day, then bam! I'm Dragonborn and have to save Tamriel."

"You may not have wanted this, but it's happening and you have to train."

"Yeah, I know..." It was dark when they got there and they both headed straight to bed at Jorrvaskr. John spent the next week training, only going out on two actual mission, both time he was accompanied by a shield-brother. He had progressed a lot in that short time though. His strikes had more form to them and his footwork had progressed. After a week of training, he awoke one night to Aela making him get up. She told him Skjor was upstairs and wanted to speak to him. John got up and went to the main hall. Skjor was standing there waiting for him. "There you are. We have an important mission for you, this will be your trial."

"Why so late?" John asked sleepily.

"We got this information pretty late, but a scholar came to us and told where we could find a fragment of Wuuthrad."

"A fragment of what?"

"Really, no one ever told you? Wuuthrad was the weapon of Ysgramor, the first Companion. You'll be going with Jade as your shield-sister, she'll answer any questions you have." Sjkor left downstairs on that note. John felt his sister's hand on his shoulder as she was all ready to go. "Hi John! Ready to go?"

"Sure, where are we going?"

"Dustman's Carin, it's a burial ground not that far from here."

"Anything to worry about?" He asked her.

"Probably a few draugr, but don't worry, they're not very tough."

"What are draugr?"

"They're like decrepit corpses that are doomed to walk the old Nord burial grounds. They carry weapons but they're usually not tough or smart. Sometimes you get that one at the end of a dungeon that's really tough, but not always. Don't worry, we'll be fine." She pulled him by the wrist and led him outside. It was a short walk to Dustman's carin, a small hole in the ground with a spiral staircase down to it. Jade was the first to enter, and pushed open the metal doors. The first thing John noticed was the stench of death. "Ugh, this place smells horrible!" Jade walked in a few steps and looked around.

"We're not the first ones here, someone else has been here." She pulled out two Skyforge steel swords. "Stay on your guard." He pulled out his hammer and followed her in deeper. The next room was full of old dead bodies. Jade stopped when they heard a noise. There was a growl around the corner. Then, one of the dead bodies was walking around the corner carrying an old looking sword. It swung ant Jade, and in a swift double move, she deflected his attack and stabbed into him. John heard another growl and found another dead body coming at him. He now realized these must be the draugr. He swung his hammer and smashed the draugr's head against a wall. Jade took out another one and she and John were back to back. There was a space between them where a draugr snuck up behind Jade. John noticed it though and struck above it's knee. The draugr's knee went limp and it half split, half stood up. Jade spun around and decapitated it. They had killed all the draugr in that room. "Those were draugr, huh?" John asked.

"Yeah, see they aren't tough. We should keep moving though." She continued on and the corridor led to stairs. Down those stairs was a large open room with a gate blocking the tunnel out. "Alright, look for a lever or something, there's always some way to open these things." John looked around and found a small part of the room that split off a little with a lever in it. He walked over to it. "Here it is." He pulled it.

"John wait!" an iron gate shut behind him. Jade ran up to it. "Sometimes there are booby traps, we're lucky there were no poison dart. Let me see if I can get you out of that... huh?" A group of five bandits came all around her and formed a wall. "There she is!" One cried.

"Time to die Companion." Another shouted. She began to back up more and more as they circled her and had her back against the gate.

"Which one is that?"

"It doesn't matter, she wears that armor, she dies!"

"Killing her will make for an excellent story." The one female bandit said. Jade dropped both of her swords on the ground.

"Too bad you won't be alive to tell it." Then something happened. She crouched down and began to sway a little. Her skin was turning black and it looked like fur was starting to cover her. Black mass began to envelope her and soon she transformed into a half wolf half man creature. She let out a howl which made the bandits back up. She swat at the female one who dropped dead instantly. Another swung a greatsword at her. She swat at him and he flew against a wall. He died on impact. She tore into the last three and John watched in horror as the monster that his sister turned into killed all the bandits. When it was over she ran into the hallway and the gate opened. John was backed up in shock still. Then Jade ran back in appearing as her normal self. "Sorry about that John, I hope I didn't scare you too much."

"Jade... what the FUCK WAS THAT?!" He cried out.

"Yeah, well... i'm kinda a werewolf now..." She said rubbing her foot in the ground nervously. John didn't respond at first, still taking all this in.

"Jeez Jade, do the others know?

"Yeah, they are too!'

"Wait what?! You're telling me the Companions are werewolves... and you want to turn me into a werewolf?"

She chuckled a little. "No, only the circle are werewolves and know about it. It's only Me, Aela, Vilkas, Farkas, Skjor, and Kodlak. But Kodlak is trying to find a way to cure himself."

"So he doesn't want them to be?"

"He himself doesn't want to be anymore. You know about Aetherius and how there are different realms of it?"

"Yeah..."

"Well Kodlak wants to go to Sovngarde, where all the Nords go. But werewolfs are claimed by Hircene after death to go his hunting grounds. Kodlak wants to cure himself so he'll go to Sovengarde when he dies instead. He may be a fierce warrior still but he is old."

"So, are you going to turn me into a werewolf?"

"I dunno, probably if you make it into the circle." John thought about this and took it in rather uneasily. Would things ever stop being weird and unexpected? He thought not. "Come on, let's get going." Jade said as she led him out and continued their quest


	5. Ill met by moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John becomes a Companion, and then some.

John and Jade continued down the halls of the crypt. The arrived upon the actual Dustamn's Crypt and arrived in a caged walkway above the main floor. They heard members of the Silver Hand. Jade knelt down to sneak and made a shoosh to John. He tried to sneak as well. They slowly crept along the path trying not to alert the Silver Hand below. They snuck almost successively. As they entered a hallway downstairs, John accidentally kicked a shield down the hallway. It scattered down the hallways and clashed into a table and knocked down several items on the table. The noise could be heard all across the corridor and it alerted many nearby Silver Hands. Jade shook head in disbelief at John's foolishness. She pulled out both her swords and waited at the corner. Sure as it was, a Silver Hand came running around the corner and caught Jade's sword in her gut, and fell dead. Jade ran out around the corner with John following. She ran up to another Silver Hand who also had dual swords. Their weapons clashed in a flurry of clinks as they systematically blocked and attacked. Another tried to run up and help his friend, and John rushed at him. John jumped high and brought the hammer down. It clashed against the anti-werewolf bandit with red mist exploding everywhere. A third with sword and shield rushed at John. John swung at him which was blocked. John, however, knew a new trick. He continued the swing and grabbed the back end by his neck, allowing the hammer to wing backwards. He caught it and made a full circle, this time sweeping the bandit's legs. The Silver Hand fell down, stunned on his back. John delivered the final killing blow to the chest. Meanwhile, Jade was still fighting with the Silver Hand. Jade managed to disarm his right hand, then slashed at a vital point in the left so the muscle wouldn't work past the elbow. Jade skewered him and he fell to the floor. She nodded to John. "See, not that hard once you get the hang of it. Let's keep moving." She and John ran out. There was one Silver Hand in the next room. He saw Jade charging at him. She swung and he ducked, then grabbing her at the elbow and throwing her over his head. She landed hard on her back. John charged at him as well. The Silver Hand rolled sideways to escape John's swing. He raised a sword and an empty hand. Then John noticed the guy's hand was on fire. The man shot flames from his hand and John took cover behind an old desk. Jade flanked him and cut off his spell hand. He yelled in pain and their swords clashed. He moved his quickly and was soon in a disarming position. Jade knew when he was, and as he moved she let go. she reached down and pulled out two Skyforge steel daggers. She raised them with her arms crossed at his neck before he could move. She slashed at his throat then spun and dug both daggers into his back. She pulled them out and he fell face first. "You ok John?" She asked. He came out from his cover.

"Yeah, what was that anyway?" He asked.

"Magic, basic fire spell. Mages are pretty tough, but we don't see them that much honestly. Most here are harmless and studying up at the college. There are court wizards in each hold, and they're all harmless. Few mages are actually dangerous." She told him as she lead onward. She came up to a large double wooden door that was locked. She looked around the room. "Check that chest over there for a key." John ran over to a chest on the side of the room and searched it. He ran back with a small key and handed it to Jade. She used it on the door and it unlocked. They came upon a large chamber with many coffins inside. There was a large stone table at the other end by some sort of stone inscription in a language neither John nor Jade understood. Jade went over to the table and stared in awe at several small fragments. John came over to see what she was looking at. "What are those? The parts of the weapon?"

"Yeah, a few fragments of Wuuthrad." She told him.

"They don't look like much."

"No, but as a whole they will, once we have the pieces that it." She picked them up and put them in a knapsack. John went over to look at the wall. He noticed one of the words was glowing. He walked over to examine it. Then waves of energy came out from it like it did with the dragon. "John!" Jade cried. The energy circled him and glowed bright, then disappeared as quickly as they came. She ran over to him. "What was that?"

"I don't know." He replied. "Let's just get out of here." They turned to leave when they heard a clunk. One of the lips on the sarcophagus popped off. A draugr came out, then another opened and another came out. All of them along the walls came undone and there were seven draugr standing in front of Jade and John. "Jade, now would be a good time to go werewolf." He said with his hammer raised defensively.

"I can't. I can only do it once a day."

"Darn." They began to back up as the draugr closed in.

"John, if one of us doesn't make it though this..."

"Jade I..." John stopped, something was happening inside of him. "I... Yol!" There was a great burst of fire erupted from him like a dragon, killing all the draugr in the room. Jade lowered her weapons in awe.

"John, what was that?"

"I... I don't know. I think the wall told me to do it."

"John, I think that was a dragon shout." She said excited.

"Really?"

"Yeah, that wall is written in thee dragon language, so that was probably a shout."

"Awesome!" There was another thud as the sarcophagus in the middle of the room opened up. A bigger and tougher looking draugr came out. John and Jade raised their weapons.

"What's with that one?" John asked.

"He's the one tough one always at the end of these crypts." She told him. The big draugr pulled out a war axe. He swung at Jade who blocked with both her swords. She pushed up and slashed twice which the draugr stepped back from. John swung above Jade, as to not hit her, and the draugr blocked it easily. John stumbled back. "He's tough."

"Yeah, they usually are." She swung again and he swung to throw her attack off. He spun his axe and slashed down. She rolled to the side. John rushed him and did a double leg takedown, raising both the dragur's legs high and then slamming him onto the stone floor. He fell hard. John raised his hammer and brought it down. The draugr rolled out of the way and got back up quickly. He turned to John. Then two metal swords pierced on each side of the draugr's heart. Jade sliced him through. He walked forward as if the attack was nothing. John swung hard and there was a crack at the dragur's spine. He flinched forward from the attack. He swung at John, then circled the attack to try and hit Jade. She ducked and John stepped back. He then turned to John and made some sort of odd noise. There was a wall of light blue as John was pushed back against the wall. "John!" Jade cried. The draugr turned to her and met a violent fury of slashes and swipes. Jade then did a 360 turn with both swords and decapitated the master draugr. His body fell down limp. She ran over and helped John up.

"Ow. What the hell did he do?" John asked as he got up.

"Yeah, some of the stronger ones can do shouts too." She helped him up. There was another clunk from above as a secret passage was revealed. John and Jade walked up to it. "Come on, let's go." They headed out and were lead back to the entrance. They left and headed back for Whiterun. It was dark when they got there, it was some time around midnight. The guards were about on guard duty at the time. They got up to Jorrvaskr, and Vilkas was waiting for them. at the top of the steps. "Vilkas! What are you doing here?" Jade asked.

"Follow me, both of you." He headed out back and Jade's face light up. She knew something and followed behind him. John walked behind them curiously. Out back there was The Circle gathered up in an arc shape, with Kodlak at the front. John stood in front of all them. "Who will speak for him?" Kodlak asked.

"I will." Jade said.

"Would you raise your shield for him?"

"I would raise my shield at his back, so that the world might never overtake us."

"Would you raise a mug in his name?"

"I would raise my mug high in his honor."

"Would you tell tales in his name?"

"I would tell tales of his adventures so none would forget his name."

"Then it is settled. You are now one of us. Welcome to the Companions."

"Yay!" Jade ran up and hugged John.

"You're doing good here son. Keep it up and you're well on your way to making it to The Circle."

"Wait, you want to make me a werewolf?!" John cried out. The Circle looked at one another then at Jade, who looked down and twiddled her thumbs.

"I'm sorry guys, the Silver Hand was there and they circled me and I got scared."

"It matters not anymore, what's done is done." Kodlak told her. "You've been let known more before your time. But don't set your eyes towards the horizon. Focus on what's important now. And that is for us all to get some sleep." They group dispersed and headed inside. John spent the next week doing work. He killed a Sabre Cat that made its home in a farmer's animal pen, he took back stolen jewelry from a Whiterun resident, and cleared out bandits making their own toll road on the road to Ivarstead and The Rift. His latest job was to rescue the assistant to Belathor's store. He was taken from the town at night by renegade vampires. John had to go the Broken Fang cave and rescue him. He had a strife with a vampire in the main chamber and cut the master vampire's throat while he slept. John then rescued the assistant and brought him back home. It was getting late and John headed back to Jorrvaskr. He gathered food inside and talked with Farkas a while before Farkas had to go out on a mission. John liked Farkas even if he was not the brightest. John looked up to him for his strength and skill in battle. Farkas and Skjor would teach him powerful devastating moves to crush his foes, while Vilkas and Aela would teach him to outsmart his foe. They trained him to keep a cool head in battle and know when to strike. As he was eating, Skjor approached John. "There you are. I have a special job for you. Meet me by the underforge tonight."

"The what?" John asked as he swallowed a mouthfull of chicken.

"Oh right, you're new. Just meet by the front of the forge on the ground level tonight." Skjor instructed him before walking off. Soon after, Jade joined him at the table. "Hi John, having a good day?"

"Yeah, uh... Skjor asked me to meet him at the Underforge tonight. Why is that?" John saw he perk up when she heard that.

"Oh!... Don't worry, you'll see." She told him with an impish smile on her face. John ate his meal and went down to his room for a few hours. Later, he went out to the Underforge at found Skjor waiting for him outside. "There you are. Are you ready?"

"For what?" John asked.

"A gift." Skjor said as he opened the secret passage. John followed him inside and found a werewolf standing in front of a small stone pillar with a basin on it. "You probably don't recognize Aela in this form. Are you ready to accept your gift." John sighed.

"You know i've been thinking about it and... i'm ready."

"So you'll join us then?" Skjor asked.

"Yes. If it will help me in my quests ahead, then yes." John walked over to the basin. Skjor walked over to Aela and cut her wrist, spilling blood into the basin.

"Drink it, and you shall become one of us." John looked in disgust. Drinking blood was not something he had anticipated. He thought it would be some sort of spiritual ritual or something along those lines. He took a handful of blood and looked down wearily. He closed his eyes and tried not to think as he drank down the werewolf blood. He opened his eyes and everything felt strange. Then... everything went black.


	6. Two Graves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The person who pursues revenge must first dig two graves." -Confucius

John opened his eyes and looked up at the night sky. He was lying down on something. He got up and saw he was on the ground, and in his underwear at that. He got up on his feet and looked around. He was lost in the forest somewhere and had no clue where he was at. His first thought was this was some sort of weird initiation prank they pulled on everyone. He was cold and lost in the forest. "Where am I?" He thought aloud.

"You're finally awake." Someone said behind him. He turned to see Aela standing near him, holding a torch in her hands. John's first thoughts were to cover himself. He panicked and ran behind a tree to hide. She laughed lightly. "I see you're a little shy."

"Yeah, well... it's not proper." John was blushing more red than a tomato. "Where's all my armor?"

"Right here. We got you some new armor to replace that old iron." She handed him the wolf armor of the Companions. He grabbed it quick and changed behind the tree. He came out in the wolf armor and admired the new set. He did not have the helmet piece, but he did not wear a helmet before so he didn't mind.

"Wow, this is nice.... really nice." He looked at his gauntlets.

"That's the armor the circle wears, signifying our wolf blood. You're one of us now."

"Right... so where are we?" John turned his attention from the armor to Aela.

"We're near Windhelm right now, we found a group of Silver Hand have been hiding out in an old fortress near here. We're going to pay them a visit."

"Oh... so... am I a werewolf now?" John asked, feeling very awkward about it.

"Yes, you have the blood of the wolf in you. It is not something to take lightly."

"Yeah, I didn't really think so." John rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Well then, let us head on." She lead him through the dark woods. He followed the light of her torch through the woods. Eventually there was another dim light. Aela put out the torch and drew her bow. She crouched low to the dirt, sneaking up on her prey. John tried to sneak, but the armor was making it hard for him. They crouched through the dark forest, approaching the main entrance of the old fortress. They soon came upon the archway entrance to the fort. There was a Silver Hand on top of the upper walkway, looking out for intruders. Aela drew her bow and took aim. She released her hand and the arrow flew through the air, hitting its mark with amazing precision. The Silver Hand fell down to the ground, alerting three others nearby. They all ran to the entrance and looked around. Aela drew another arrow. She fired and hit another in the neck, killing him. As soon as she let the arrow go, she reached for another, aiming and taking out another guard. Then doing the same thing a third time. They were dead before they even knew where Aela and John were. The duo stood up from the shrubs. "That takes care of that. Let's go, Skor's waiting." She began walking to the fort. John stopped thinking about what she just said before running to catch up.

"Did you say Skjor is waiting?" He asked confused.

"Yes, he came with us but was too impatient to wait for you to wake. He went on ahead."

"Oh... Do you think he's ok?"

"Skjor?" She was almost surprised to hear that. "We'll be lucky if he leaves any for us." They reached the entrance of the fort and went inside. It was damp inside and reeked of mold. They headed downstairs. They passed through many chambers and hallways, with many bodies of those Skjor had killed. They soon came upon one last chamber. They heard noise behind it. "Skjor must be wrapping things up." Aela opened the door casually, instead to see Silver Hand. They were dragging off Skjor's body. 

"This one sure put up one hell of a fight." Said the one dragging his body away.

"He was no match for us." Said the one that appeared to be the leader.

"Bastards!" Aela yelled out in rage. She drew her bow and fired before they could react, killing the one taking Skjor away. John took his hammer and rushed the leader. He swung and the lead Silver Hand rolled out of the way. He pulled out a hunting knife and began side stepping in circles with John. He licked the back of the knife. HE slashed at John. John dodged and thrust the handle of his war hammer into the man, before delivering a knee to the chest. The Silver Hand quick grabbed the hammer from John and tossed it aside. He slashed again, and John dodged. He tried an overhand attack, which John blocked by holding his wrist to the leader's/ John punched the man in the face. The Silver Hand backed up and was stunned. John threw a spinning heel kick, and the man feel from a short ledge onto his back. The knife clattered to the ground. John rushed and hopped off the edge, body slamming onto the man with all that armor. The leader was down and unable to get back up. John went and got him hammer back and went to deliver the final blow. "For Sjkor!" He swung and broke the man's rib cage and killed him. Aela had kept the others at bay, and managed to kill the others. They both approached Skjor's body. 

"Damn it, I can't believe they got him." Aela said.

"Well... what now?" John asked.

"We make those bastards pay. I know where they're hiding out. We'll flush them out and take them down."

"Sounds like a plan. Anything to get them off our backs." John looked down at Skjor, then back to Aela. "Where do we strike first?"

"Eager are we? Good. There's a fort in the Rift that should have a log of their plans. Go take that, show them no mercy." She walked away. John's last comment was. "Looks like we don't have a choice now." He looked back down at Skjor's body. 

"I never wanted any of this." He walked away, leaving the room empty. 

About a week later, John and Aela had conducted a few raids on the Silver Hand, crippling their forces and gathering information. John's last mission was taking them out of a cave in the Rift. They were getting desperate and trying to hide. He had killed the ones he found there and was unable to find any more information. He headed home empty handed. He got back to Jorrvaskr and Aela was in there waiting. "Did you find anything?" She asked.

"Yeah, they were there but had nothing important.

"Again, seems like they know our plans now.... But that's not important, Kodlak wishes to speak with you." John was surprised to hear that, and a little nervous. 

"Really? Why?"

"It seems he's caught wind of our plans." John gulped. "Don't worry, i'm sure you'll be fine. My advice, be honest with the old man but don't tell him anything he doesn't need to know." 

"Got it." John told her. He headed downstairs to go see Kodlak. The hallway leading to his room felt like death row. John was nervous about what he had to say. The double doors were open and Kodlak was siting by the table in the corner. 

"Ah, there you are." He said as John walked in.

"You wanted to see me?" He said nervously.

"Yes, sit down. And don't worry, you're not in any trouble." John sat down and felt a bit more eased. "Now the, I hear you and Aela have been very busy lately."

"Uhhh, yeah... we've been working a lot." John said.

"Son, I know what you've been doing. Trying to avenge Skjor's death and waging war with the Silver Hand. Your sister told me everything."

"Wait you.... how... how does she even know about that?" John struggled to find the right words.

"Your sister takes just as well to the blood of the beast as Aela does. She's a good tracker."

"...What?" John was confused.

"Some take the 'gift' better than others. Aela and your sister Jade both have developed some animal sense in their normal appearance. They're both able to track creatures better than any normal person could. She was worried about you and her going out as often as you had and trailed you both."

"Oh, that's how."

"I know your heart aches for the loss of Skjor, but revenge isn't the way to grieve it."

"I know, it doesn't feel that right, but... we've gone too far to quit now."

"I see you have the heart to finish what you start, that is good. But it is never too late for change. Have you ever heard about of how the Comapnions gained the wolf's blood?" John had to think for a second.

"I think Jade said something about witches and a deal, but I don't remember really."

 

"Yes, it does have to do with witches. The witches of Glenmoril Coven, they offered the Companions of old a deal. They would make us better warriors, in return we would pledge ourselves to Hircine. Only later did we find out their trickery. We gained the blood of the beast, but when we died our souls would be claimed by Hircine."

"They tricked you into giving away your afterlife?"

"Aye. Some would gladly go to Hircine's Hunting Ground, running wild with the beasts, but me... I wish to ascend to Sovngarde, to join my fellow kinsmin in the Hall of Valor."

"But you'd have to cure yourself right?"

"That is correct." Kodlak nodded.

"Is there a way to do that?"

"There is, and I need your help to do so?"

"How can I help?" John asked.

"Go to Glenmoril Coven, kill one of the witches and bring me their head."

"You need a witch's head?"

"Aye. I'll explain more when you get back. For now, off with you." John nodded and stood up. He headed to the stables to get a horse and ride to Glenmoril Coven. He had bough a horse for his travels across the land. He was getting ready when Jade came to the stables before he left.

"John, I need to talk to you."

"Don't, Kodlak told me everything."

"I'm worried about you John. Waging war isn't something the Companions do."

"We didn't start this war Jade, they did. Even before Skjor."

"I know, but that doesn't make it right." John got up on his horse. "You're leaving anyway, aren't you?" She said softly.

"Yes, but this is something Kodlak asked me to do."

"I'm worried about that too." John was about to leave, but stopped.

"Huh? Why?"

"I know he wants to cure himself, but he wants to cure everyone as well. I know his heart is in the right place, and I love him like he was family, but not all of us want to be cured." She looked down at the ground. 

"You mean you and Aela?" 

"That obvious huh?" She smirked.

"Yeah, Vilkas follows Kodlak, and Farkas follows Vilkas. So i'm sure they both want to be cured."

"And what about you?" John and her stared at each other silently. 

"We'll see." He began to ride off. 

"Be careful John." She told him as he rode off. 

The journey was long, but by nightfall John arrived at Glenmoril Coven. It was dark and gave off an eerie presence. John hitched his horse to a tree and slowly approached the cave. He drew his large war hammer, ready for combat.

The cave was dark and damp. John's vision was slightly better than normal even since he accepted the wolf's blood. He peeked around the corner and saw a witch standing by a fire. He began slowly approaching her. Step by step, watching his footing, trying not to make noise. He got closer and closer, until the Hagraven turned around a slung a fireball. John was sent flying back a couple feet and landed on his back. She charged up another, and John began to move. He managed to roll out of the way of the second one. The witch fired a 3rd while John was rolling and missed. She charged up another, but the fire in her palm went out. She had run out of magicka. That would cost her, and john rushed in. He swung hard and used the handle part near the head of the hammer to knock her down. He slammed into her chest to finish her off. John panted heavily there and went over to take a nearby ceremonial knife. He used it to start cutting the witch's head off. He heard noises of other Hagravens in the cave. He began to think about what Jade said. He knew these witch heads had to do with getting cured. He looked down another tunnel leading deeper into the cave. He had to make a decision right there. 

John had stayed overnight in Falkreath nearby. He arrived back home at least. He left his horse and headed up to Jorrvaskr. The streets seemed empty, very few people were around. He saw why when he got to Jorrvaskr. They were gathered at the stairs leading up to Jorrvaskr, several companions were standing outside with weapons drawn. John ran up to hem and was met by Vilkas. "Where have you been?" He demanded.

"I was out doing a job for Kodlak." John stated nervously. 

"Well I hope it was worth it, because Kodlak is dead."


	7. Taming the Beast Within

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kodlak is dead, and the Companions will carry out his dying wish.

John entered Jorrvaskr. The halls were silent and ominous. There were two dead Silver Hand members inside, and Kodlak's body. Farkas was sitting down next to him, and Jade kneeling on the other side. She jumped up and ran to John when she was him. "John!" She hugged him tightly. "I was so worried about you! I was afraid they got you too when you left."

"N-no, I was doing something Kodlak asked me to do." She let up on her death grip on John.

"Good, you were safe then. Where did you go?"

"He had me get something for him. Something that I think has to do with getting cured, but..." He trailed off.

"We should talk later, there's much to be done now." John nodded, and they both got to cleaning up Jorrvaskr. At night the following day, all the Companions were gathered at the Skyforge. Kodlak's funeral was being held. The Jarl and his housecarl and court wizard were even there. There was an arc gathered with everyone in attendance around the forge. There was another arc closer to Kodlak's body, that group consisted of the Circle. Vilkas showed up late and took his place. "Who will speak for him?" Farkas said aloud.

"I will." Aela stepped forward. "For the fallen."

"We shout." The other circle members said in unison. 

"For the mourning."

"We shout."

"For his loss."

"We grieve."

"And in his memory."

"We take our leave." After the speaking was over, Aela lit the pyre ablaze and cremated Kodlak's remains. She stood back in her place in the inner arc. Vilkas turned to the others. Companions, it is time to return to Jorrvaskr. The Circle will met in the Underforge shortly. The group began to disperse. John was approached by Eorlund Gray-Mane. 

"Before you join your fellow Companions, I need to ask a favor of you."

"Sure Eorlund, what is it?"

"Kodlak kept a fragment of Wuuthrad in his room. It's in a stand next to his bed. Could you go get it for me?"

"Oh, sure. Why did he keep it there?"

"In case the others were ever stolen, we'd always have that one last fragment. It was a symbol of never losing hope."

"Wow, that's really deep...." John trailed off. 

"Aye, now go get it for me." He walked off and John rushed down to Kodlak's room. The halls were silent, and the room felt like a grave memoriam to Kodlak. He enter Kodlak's bedroom, somewhere that felt alien to him. He opened the drawers and found the fragment Eorlund was talking about. He grabbed it and shut the drawer, leaving behind the room where Kodlak once slept. He left out the front and found Eorlund waiting there for him. "Did you find it?" 

"Yes, here you go." He handed over the shard.

"Thank you lad. Now go, your fellow Companions are already at the Underforge. John nodded and left to the Underforge. The other members of the circle were gathered around the basin. 

"He had one dying wish, he never got it." Vilkas said aloud.

"He meant well, but are we really going to throw this gift away" Aela told him. John silently stepped in with them.

"It's what he wanted, he never got it." Vilkas told her.

"I know his heart was in the right place, but do we really have to cure ourselves?" Jade asked. "I thought we were allowed to make our own decisions."

"Aye, that is true." Vilkas said stubbornly. "What do you think?" He turned to John.

"Well... I kinda agree with Jade. I think it should be a choice."

"Yes!" Jade mock cheered.

"Also, I don't think we should give it to everyone who joins the Circle anymore, that should be a choice too."

"That sounds sensible." Vilkas said.

"Agreed. Curing the blood of the beast will be a choice, as well as passing it on to future members." Aela agreed with the plan.

"Now, Kodlak said of a way of curing himself, even in death. Anyone have any ideas on how to do that?" Vilkas asked.

"With this." John pulled out a Hagraven head.

"A hagraven head?" Farkas asked.

"Not just any Hagraven, one from Glenmoril Coven." John told them. 

"You mean where the wolf's blood first came from?" Vilkas was surprised.

"Yes. That's where Kodlak sent me. These heads have something to do with it but I don't know besides that."

"Well, then we'll just have to find out."

"How?" John asked.

"When Companions die, their spirits go to Ysgramor's Tomb, way up north. Some spirits stay there to guard the tomb. We can assume Kodlaks is there was well, hiding from Hircine." Jade told him.

"Aye, but the tomb is sealed. Has been for thousands of years." Vilkas said. "We need Wuuthrad but it's been in pieces for centuries." 

"Tools are meant to be broke, tools are meant to be repaired." Eorlund stepping in, holding Wuuthrad in his hands. 

"Is that Wuuthrad?" Aela asked?

"It is, I fixed it while you were all arguing amongst yourselves."

"Hooray for Kodlak!" Jade shouted aloud.

"Thank you lass. I can think no one better to carry it that the Dragonborn." He handed Wuuthrad to John. "Take this, it will open Ysgramor's Tomb, then you can set Kodlak's spirit free." John took the axe from him. 

"I'll carry it with honor." HE holstered it to his back, making an X shape with his warhammer. 

"To Ysgramor's tomb!" Aela shouted, and with that they all left and headed to Ysgramor's Tomb. It was a long trip, but they got to the island tomb before nightfall. It was snowing and John was very cold. He was huddling his arms to his body and shivering. 

"Jeez, it's-s so c-cold." He stuttered.

"We're up pretty far north John." Jade told him. They headed inside the tomb. It was warmer in the tomb, and John no longer felt like he was going to catch hypothermia. There was a large stature in the middle of the room, with his hands up like he should he holding something. 

"Is that Ysgramor?" John asked.

"Yes, that is the great Ysgramor, founder of the Companions." Vilkas told him. "Return Wuuthrad to Ysgramor, and it will open they way for you to head onward."

"You're not coming?" John asked.

"I can't." Vilkas told him.

"But why?" Jade asked.

"I let my heart darken with revenge. I was late to Kodlak's funeral that day because I went out on my own. I found the remaining Silver Hand and wiped them out. They stole Kodlak and our fragments of Wuuthrad. I wasn't about to let them get away with that."

"Are you sure? Aela and I went after them too."

"Aye, but you did not hunt them to the point of no more. I have no regrets, but I can not continue on." 

"I see... We'll help Kodlak, don't worry Vilkas." John told him. Vilkas nodded, and John took Wuuthrad off his back. He stood up on the step the statue was on and slid the handle back into Ysgramor's hands. The stone doors began to grind and rise up. The path leading down into the tomb was open. John, Jade, Farkas, and Aela descended. The very next room they entered, they were attacked. Ghosts of old Companions came out from the coffins and attacked. The four of them were quickly able to defeat the ghosts, John swung his hammer in a stroke of fear, Jade cut through one with her sword, and Aela shot the last one. John was still slightly freaked out by the whole thing however. 

"What was THAT?"

"I told you the ghosts of the old Companions guard this tomb." Jade told him. 

"Yeah, but I didn't think that'd actually be true. Kinda creepy." 

"Well, no turning back now." Aela said. "Let's press onward." The others followed and together they dared the halls of Ysgramor's tomb. Room by room they cleared out the ghost guardians. They had soon arrived at the entrance to a room surrounded by Frostbite webs. "I can't go any farther." Farkas said.

"Why not?" John asked.

"Spiders, the big ones. Ever since Dustman's Carin I can't stand them anymore. Everyone has their weakness, and this is mine." 

"I see. Good luck to you Farkas." John said.

"You too brother." He said as they departed. Inside, they faced two Frostbite spiders and one giant one. The three of them over powered the spiders and continued through the tomb. They soon reached the end, finding one last ghost around a fire. It was the ghost of Kodlak. "Kodlak!" John shouted exictedly as he and Jade rushed over to him. 

"Hello there John, how are you doing?"

"I'm good! We came here because we need to know how to cure you."

"Ah, have you brought the witch's head?" He asked.

"Yes, right here." John pulled a Glenmoril witch head.

"Good, place it into the fire. Then you will have to slay the spirit of the beast inside me." John nodded and headed to the fire pit. He placed the witch's head in the blue fire. It began to burn up into ashes that ascended to the ceiling. Kodlak began to cringe and spasm. A red spirit of a wolf emerged from him and took form. It howled to the sky and turned its attention to John. John had his warhammer out, ready for battle. The beast approached closer. Jade caught it off guard with a swift kick to the jaw. It's head flew up and it howled. John slammed his hammer into the side of the spirit's head and it vanished in a cloud of red. Kodlak's spirit stood up once more and went to John. "Thank you, you have slain the beast inside me. Thus setting me free from Hircine's curse, and allowing my spirit to pass onto Sovngarde."

"Glad we could help Kodlak." John said with a smile.

"Bye Kodlak." Jade went up and air hugged his spirit.

"Ooohh, Jade." He said laughing. "Always the one with the biggest heart. And your brother with the truest heart, to lead the Companions to further victory." Kodlak's ghost vanished and he ascended into Sovngarde. Jade and Aela looked at John.

"What?" He asked.

"Didn't you hear him?" Jade asked.

"I believe he said you are to be the new Harbinger of the Comapnions." Aela told him.

"Ooooohhhhh." John just picked up on it. "Wow, that's neat, but..."

"But what?" Aela said.

"Well I DO kinda have to go save the world and stuff." John said. "You guys can manage yourself in my absence right?" 

"Of course." Aela and Jade said together. 

"Ok, good. There's just one more thing I need to do." John pulled out a second witch head. Aela and Jade both stared at it.

'So... you really want to cure yourself then?" Jade asked.

"I do." John responded. "Honestly, I don't like being a werewolf. I get fleas, I smell bad, and I have an urge to chase squirrels around whenever I see one." He told her. He walked over and put the witch's head in the fire. It burned up just as the last one had, and John's beast spirit was freed. He struck quickly while its back was turned. "Well, that takes care of that. Let's get the other two and get out of here." John and the others headed out of the tomb, and back to Jorrvaskr. It was night when they exited the tomb, the air was as cold as ever. They were headed to take the boat they came on back to the mainland when the ground started to shake. "DO-VA-KIIN." Voices were heard from out of nowhere. Just as soon as it came, the tremors left. The Companions all looked to John.

"Oh jeez, what is it now?" He asked.

"That was the voice of The Greybeards, summoning you to mount Hrothgar." Farkas said. "It is a great honor to be summoned."

"The Greybeards?" John asked.

"Masters of the way of the voice. They are probably summoning you since you are the first Dragonborn since the 3rd era." Vilkas told him.

"You mean they know how to do the shout thing?"

"Aye."

"Well then, I know where I need to go now. But first, take me back home."

After they arrived back at Whiterun, and John got some much needed sleep, he headed up to Dragonsreach. He went over to where Farengar worked and approached him. "Ah, hello Dragonborn. How can I help you?" He asked when John came up to him.

"Hello Farengar. The journey ahead isn't going to be easy, I know that already. And after that battle with the Hagravens and seeing some real magic, I think i'd like to have a mage as a follower, someone to help me and be there along the way. Do you know of any I could find? Are there any others in Whiterun?"

"Hmmm..." Farengar thought for a second. "Well you could see if there's any at the Mage's College in Winterhold... though there is one other in Whiterun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try and update this more now. Grimdorks coming soon.


	8. A New Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John seeks a magical companion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry but AO3 is being weird and updating publicly every time I save a draft. I'm trying to complete who chapters now, but it might do it again.

John was out on the Northwestern end of the Whiterun hole, deep in the forests. There was a small cabin by the mountains, isolated from the rest of the hold. This is where Farengar had told John to go. "Go to the Northwestern end of the hold, you will find a mage there that lives alone. Tell them I sent you." The words were still fresh in John's mind. It was night by the time he had gotten there, and it was cold out. He wanted to go inside where it was warm. He knocked twice on the door.

"Who's there?" A female voice called from inside.

"Hi, my name's John. Farengar sent me, can I come in?" There was no immdiate response. John heard locks unlock and the door opened. A woman a bit shorter than him was standing there. She had lavender mage robes on, and her hood was pulled over her eyes. She also was wearing black lipstick, that seemed to stand out.

"If Farengar sent you, I suppose I could trust you. Come in." She opened the door all the way and let John in. He stepped inside the house, which was much warmer than outside. There was a small firepit by the entrance and a fire was going. The woman closed the door behind John. She walked pas him and went into the main room. She began cleaning up some books she appeared to have been reading. "So, why did Farengar send you?" 

"Well you see, i'm looking for someone to travel with, as i'm off on a mission of great importance. I asked if he knew any mages who might help and he pointed me to you." 

"I see... and what is this 'mission of great importance'?"

"Saving the world..." John said reluctantly, thinking she would not believe him. She chuckled dryly.

"I see. Well i'm sorry but I don't have time for antics like that. I have important work to attend to." She said with her back turned, focusing more on her books. 

"I'm not joking." He tried to tell her. She turned to him.

"Well then you are a fool. You can't save the world from its own troubles."

"It's not that."

"Well then perhaps you just an attention seeker." She joked.

"No! I'm harbinger of the Companions, that's not an easy title to get ya know."

"Really? Because last I check Kodlak White-Man was..."

"Kodlak is dead." John cut her off, trying not to think about it.

"Oh... i'm sorry to hear that. That's not something anyone would joke about. Regardless, I don't see why a Companions would want a mage's help."

"Because magic is awesome, end of story." She smirked at that. 

"My, I never thought i'd hear that from a Companion."

"Well it's true, i'm trying to be serious here. You could at least actually look at me." He pulled down her hood. She jumped in shock at it. John saw her short cut blonde hair, but what really stood out was he noticed her eyes. Her eye color was a lavender just like her robes. She grabbed her hood, trying to stop him but it was too late. "Woah, your eyes...."

"I had them covered for a reason, to hide that?" She said scornfully.

"Hide them? Why?"

"Are you serious?" She asked.

"Yeah. I mean it's not natural but it looks really good..." He thought to himself that sounded lame. She just stared at him puzzled. "Why? What is it?"

"You don't know about me, do you?"

"I know you're a young woman living in the forest on her own." He joked. She rolled her eyes and picked up a book. 

"My name is Rose Lalonde, and my eyes are because of a family curse." She told him. John started paying attention. "It was many many years ago, one of my ancestors was the Archmage at the College of Winterhold. He began delving into dark magic, forbidden spells and magic of evil beings. He became corrupted by these woes, and tried to enslave the school. One of his teachers however, overthrew him and took his place as Archmage. Before my ancestor died, his better placed a curse, a curse on his family for his crimes. We would become sources of bad luck, and we'd have unnatural eyes colors so know who we are..." She went silent for a moment. "We later found out, the bad luck part wasn't true. He lied to everyone about that in order to shun our family from society." 

"I'm sorry to hear that." 

"I can't go out in public because of what people might do to me. That's why I hide here." She told him.

"Is there any way to lift the curse?" 

"Yes. A Lalonde must do equal good of what my ancestor has wronged." 

"Oh... well perhaps you can accompany me after all." john smiled to break the tension.

"Really?" She crossed her arms. 

"Yeah, you see..." There was a roar heard outside. "Ugh, again?" 

"What? What's going on?" Rose asked. John rushed to the door. Rose threw her hood back over her eyes and followed him outside. John had his hammer out and at the ready. "What is it?" Rose asked. She heard the roar again. 

"Look out!" He pulled her back. A dragon landed in front of them, crushing a couple trees as he landed. 

"By the divines!" Rose shouted. She and John took cover behind a boulder. The dragon used its fire breath and tried to burn them. After it stopped, John rushed out and slammed his warhammer hard into the dragon's head. It flinched back before snapping at John. He fell back, and it went into the air, hovering above him. Rose came out from cover, two black and grey wands in her hands. She was charging up lightning in them. She took aim and fired an electrical storm at the dragon. It flinched and thrashed in air, landing hard on the ground. Rose kept up the electricity as it landed. John jumped and raised his warhammer high. He brought it down as hard as he could, killing the beast. It slumped down, dead, and Rose walked over to it. "Is that... is that really a dragon?" Rose asked.

"Yes, they've come back." John told her. She looked at the dead dragon, its skin was burning up. The scales began to burn up and its body was melting. Energy stream came from the dragon. They circled around John and he began to abosorbs them. Soon all of the dragon had burned up except for its bones, and John fully absorbed its energy. Rose just stood there, silent and in shock. 

"You're... you're Dragonborn." She said.

"Yes, I am. And I need to stop these dragons. I can't do it alone, i'd really appreciate some help." He extended his hand out to her. She looked down at it briefly before shaking it.

The next day, John and Rose were in Whiterun, preparing to head to High Hrothgar. They were about to exit the gate out when Jade ran up to them. "John!" John and Rose stopped when they heard her. Jade ran up to them and gave her brother a hug. "Stay safe John, don't go getting yourself killed out there." She smiled as she gave her goodbye. It was only after she let go she noticed Rose was there. "Oh, hello." She let go of John.

"Jade, this is Rose. She's going to be accompanying me on this journey."

"Oh, hi Rose. I'm Jade, John's sister." Jade extended her hand, Rose shook it. 

"Nice to meet you Jade."

"You too. Now John, take extra good care of her, take her out to dinner, ask her what her favorite play is..."

"Wait, what?!" John asked in shock. Jade began giggling. 

"I'm just teasing you. Goodbye John." She said her farewells and returned to Jorrvaskr. Rose was still smirking at Jade's comment. 

"Heh, sorry about that." John said with a hand on the back of his head.

"It's fine, she was rather nice actually." They both headed out the front gate of Whiterun.

"Yeah, she is. I just didn't know about what she said about that play stuff... Not that you aren't attractive, it's just we're supposed to be partners and all and well..." John noticed Rose was smiling, trying to hold back laughter. "You're having fun with this, aren't you?"

"A little." The both of them had walked down the path, and out of the town walls. They were approaching the carriage. John went up to the driver. 

"Can you take us to Ivarsted?"

"Ivarsted? sure, but it's not on my usual route, so it'll cost extra." The man told John.

"Deal." John paid the driver to take them to Ivarstead, and he and Rose sat in the back. This was the beginning of a long journey, and a beautiful partnership.


	9. The Masters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John and Rose head up to High Hrothgar.

After an hour of travel, the carriage arrived in Ivarstead. John and Rose exited the carriage, and it rode off back to Whiterun. Ivarsted was a small village, it had an inn, and a few houses along the main road. The houses had crops areas next to them, as the village was mostly farmers. There was also a stream nearby, and you could hear the running water."This place seems nice." John noted. "Now where is high Hrothgar?" John looked around, he couldn't find any buildings he thought that they would be.

"Up there." Rose pointed up. John turned and saw a trail leading across the stream via a bridge, and went up the mountain. John moaned.

"All the way up there?"

"Yes, many actually climb the steps up to High Hrothgar as a pilgrimage. None ever go in without being invited."

"Well, I was. Guess it'd be rude to not show up." He said. They both headed across the bridge and up to High Hrothgar, it was going to be a long journey. Once he thought they were out of earshot, John decided to try making conversation. "So, uh.... can you tell me about yourself?"

"Can I tell you about myself?" Rose was confused.

"Well since we're going to be partners and all, I thought we should get to know each other better." John was starting to regret opening his mouth.

"What do you want to know?"

"Like, can you tell me about your past?" Rose sighed.

"It's not a nice story with a fairy tell ending." She told him.

"Well that's because it's not over yet." He smiled at her. Rose was not used to this kind of warmth and welcoming from another person. She decided to tell him.

"Well, my mother and father were both Brentons, both born in High Rock. I however was born in a shack in Skyrim. I adopted out 'family trait' and was cursed with being an outcast to others. The curse is more feared in Skyrim than anywhere else."

"So why not move?" John asked.

Rose shrugged. "Despite the cold reception from the Nords, I always enjoyed it here. The natural beauty of the land is quite breath taking. I rarely travel into towns though."

"Well you must have some friends at least."

"A few, mostly just contacts spread across Skyrim. My mother was chased out of towns and realized she couldn't take care of me. When I was 9, she left me to the College up in Winterhold. They raised me there. I can't say I blame her, nor am I mad at her. She realized our bloodline was cursed and she wouldn't be able to properly care for a child as a lonely widow in the middle of nowhere."

"Widow?" John asked. Rose nodded.

"I never knew my father. My mother told me he died trying to defend us from a mob when I was very young."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's fine I suppose. I'm used to not having a delightful past. The only place I really shined was the College. I proved my natural ability there and greatly improved my training."

"They weren't like... mad or anything because of your ancestor?"

"Oh goodness no. That was a very long time ago John. In fact, I think Archmage Savos was hoping I could redeem myself there."

"Well, why didn't you stay?"

"Well I got to the point where they couldn't really teach me anymore, and due to my natural disposition with others, I couldn't teach. So I left. I made friends with Farengar, who was rather interested in my family's past and curse. He's been helping me get books and supplies ever since. That is until you came along."

"Heh, well glade I could save you from a boring rest of your life." It was now snowing. The ground where they had climbed to was covered in snow and it was much colder. There were three wolves on the path, that took notice of John and Rose. They began to growl at them. Rose pulled out her stripped wands and shot a fireball at the ground. They all whimpered and ran away. "What are those?" John asked.

"John, are you honestly telling me you haven't seen a wolf before."

"Ha ha, very funny. No, for your information I was a wolf."

"...What?"

"Nevermind, I was asking about those wands."

"Ah yes, I made them myself out of enchanted tree bark. They amplify my magika and allow me to create more powerful spells."

"Wow, that's really cool."

"Indeed."

"So... do you have any other family?" John tried to keep the conversation going. They both kept along the path.

"Well, my mother returned to High Rock, she's had a lot less trouble with people over there. There's also my idiot half brother who lives in Riften. I'd rather not go into detail with him."

"Oh. Does he have like eyes like you?"

"Sort of... it's partially Lalonde eyes and partially vampire vision."

"Vampire vision?!" John was surprised.

"Yes John. My mother had an affair with his vampire father. His eyes are red, but he keeps them hidden. Not that he ever goes out much anyway, but he's half vampire, as is his brother who is unrelated to me."

"Wow, that's pretty cool."

"I suppose. His brother only kept the vampiric vision, and is able to see in the dark. He's also not a very big fan of garlic. My half-brother however, he reacted to the curse. He's able to see prophetic visions in the short future."

"Woah, really?"

"Yes. If you shot an arrow when his back was turned, he'd be able to see it and get out of the way. However he has to hide his eyes from the public."

"You said he doesn't get out much..." John tried to ask.

"That's a story for another time.... John, look out!" Rose drew her wands. A Frost Troll jumped down from a ledge and ran at them. John pulled out his hammer, and used it to sweep the troll's legs. While on the ground, Rose finished it off with fire. It burned up and began to run off, accidentally running off the mountain. "It's best to use fire on trolls, their fat burns very easy." Rose noted as they moved on. "So, tell me about you now John."

"Oh, well I was born and raised in the Imperial City by my dad with my sister Jade. You met her back at Whiterun, we're twins. We were both raised by my dad, I didn't know my mom because she got into Skooma and left us."

"Oh dear."

"Yeah, my dad thought he shouldn't hide it, he just told us what happened when we were really young and tried to make sure we'd be good kids. When I was 13 I started working at out family's forge. My sister went out and hunted by herself a lot. She joined The Companions one day and I worked at the forge with my cousin Jake and my friend Karkat. He's a Troll, but I convinced my dad to let him work there."

"I see..."

"Then one day, I come to visit Jade, then get caught up in a trap for the Stormcloaks and get tried as one. They just took us right to Helgen to execute us. But then that dragon attacked and changed everything. "

"Well John, it seems you have one interesting story as well."

"Heh, I guess. It's just getting good though." They both came around one more bend and were there. They could both see High Hrothgar. "Oh, well that wasn't so bad. Let'd go."

"John, you were invited, not me." Rose reminded him.

"Aww, i'm sure they won't mind as long as I explain to them." Rose rolled her eyes under her hood and followed her new friend. John began walking up the steps, Rose stood in front of the building by the altar. "Hey, what are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm leaving gifts for the Greybeards, as is customary." She pulled out an apple pie, and a bottle of Alto Wine. She placed them both in the trunk outside and closed it. She then rejoined her companion and they headed in together. The inside was grey stones, and was nicely decorated, but simple. John entered the main room and looed around. There was a man in dark grey robes, and with a beard standing there, as if waiting. He approached John.

"So, a Dragonborn appears, at the turning of an age."

"Oh, hi. I'm here to answer your summons Master Greybeard." The man chuckled.

"Master Greybeard? Please, call me Master Arngeir... and I see you brought a friend." He noticed Rose trying to stand back from John.

"Oh, that's Rose. I asked her to accompany me on my journey, I thought I could use the help."

"A wise choice, friends can be most invaluable." He turned to Rose. "This makes you the second Lalonde to enter High Hrothgar."

She was taken back by that "You know who I am?"

"Indeed, we can sense all within Skyrim. The last one to visit us was your ancestor, the Archmage who is responsible for the so called curse. I imagine you are following the Dragonborn in order to change that."

"That and he's been nicer than most other people i've met."

"And well mannered? It is an honor to meet you Dragonborn. And please young Lalonde, you do not need to hide yourself here. You are both welcomed to High Hrothgar." Rose pulled down her hood, relieved she could show herself without judgement for once.

"Now then Dragonborn, let us see what you are capable of." Master Arngeir asked. "Show me the power of your voice."

"Uhhh, sure." John turned to a bunch of pots gathered in a corner. " _Fus!_ " He knocked them all down. The sound" of his voice attracted the other Greybeards to come see. There were four of them total.

So, the Dragonborn has come at last?" One of them said.

"Indeed it is. This is the Dragonborn." Arngeir motioned towards John. "And this is his companion Rose Lalonde."

"Lalonde? We haven't had a Lalonde visit since that awful going on with the College. It's nice to see a change of scene if your family." The same Greybeard said to her.

"Thank you master." Rose bowed to him.

"Now then, let us begin." Master Arngeir said. "You have already learned the first word of Unrelenting Force, 'Fus' which means Force. Master Wulfgar will teach you the second part, 'Ro' which means Balance." Master Wulfgar looked at the ground and softly said "Ro." A force energy went to the ground and spelled it in Dragon Language. John went over and stood near it. The energy moved from the floor to him and as quick as a flash, learned the second word. "My, I never really thought it was possible, to think that you could learn a word so quickly."

"Gee, I thought it was this easy for everybody."

"Certainly not." Arngeir chuckled a little. "It takes years for most to learn a word, years more to master it. Some spend their whole lives simply learning one phrase. But you, you are Dragonborn, you can learn and master a word immediately. Now, let us try it with a different word. Follow master Einarth to the courtyard." The one greybeard stepped out and headed to the courtyard. John followed him, and Rose followed John. Once they were all in the courtyard, the Greybards were standing in a line, all facing john. "Next, we will teach you the first word in Whirlwind Spirit. 'Whul' Which means Whirlwind. Master Einarth." Master Einarth quietly spoke "Whurl." and the same process repeated, John had learned his second shout. "Now then, let us test it out. Master Borri will open up the gate, use your new shout to pass through before it closes." Master Borri walked over to a gate nearby, John stood a few yards away from it and got ready for it to open.

"Vex." The gate opened on Master Borri's command. John used his new shout

" _Whul!_ " and flew through the gate. He landed on the other side too quick to be seen. "Woah, that is cool." John said, he returned back to the Greybeards. "I'm glad you're taking to your new powers so well." Master Arngeir said. "Now, we have one last test for you. Go to Ustengrav, and retrieve the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller." "The what of who?" "The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller." Rose repeated. "Jurgen Windcaller was the founder of High Hrothgar and The Greybeards. He was once a general and controlled an army, his horn was the one he blew into before battle." "Yes, your friend knows what she is talking about." Master Arngeir said. "Go retrieve this for us, and your training will be complete." John and Rose trekked down the mountain again. It was night when they got back to Ivarsted, so they decided to stay the night. They both entered the Vilemyr Inn. John went up to the man at the bar. "Can I help you?" He greeted John. "Yeah, two rooms please." John handed him a small pouch of money. "Aye, take the two on the left. Though i'm sure it won't be as enjoyable as sharing a bed." The man joked and John began to get flustered. "Haha, i'm kidding. Please, enjoy your stay." John thanked him and he and Rose went over to the left side of the main room. "Well that was quite a lot for one day." "Indeed it was, I never thought i'd ever be allowed into High Hrothgar." Rose said. "Yeah, how did you know about that horn thing anyway?" "I did a a lot of reading when I was young. Being anti-social gave me more time to research many things." "Oh." john really didn't like hearing about Rose's troubled past. "Well i'm sure it'll be get better." "It already is." She smiled. "Goodnight John." "Goodnight Rose." They both entered their rooms and went to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it gets all mashed together at the bottom. I tried to fix it but when I switched from HTML to Rich it did that. I dunno, it's being all weird.


	10. Pieces of the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John and Rose go to Ustengrav.

Two necromancers walked past the dead body of bandits in Ustengrav. A group of mages had cleared out bandits hiding in the burial grounds, so they could claim it as their own. The remainder of the bandits had been driven deeper into the depths of the tomb. The two Necromancers had just finished their kills. "Well that was hardly a challenge." The female High Elf one said. "Still, they put up a hell of a fight."

"They could never hope to win." The other, who was a Breton said. "The others should be wrapping up soon." He turned to the other Necromancer. "We should..." He was cut off by a large icicle piercing his throat. He fell to his knees, blood all over the front and back of his robes. The other Necromancer just watched as he fell to the ground. She looked up to see john rushing in. He punched her right in the face, she fell down to the ground. John took his hammer and raised it above his head, swinging it straight down to finish her. Rose walked in from the other side of the room. 

"Good teamwork" John turned to her and smiled. 

"Of course." Rose smirked. "I am quite a talented mage." 

"Heh, yeah you are. Let's keep going." They both headed deeper into the tomb. After navigating down a turn, they heard more fighting. John peeked around the corner to see the mages fighting with the draugr. John ducked back behind the opening to hide. "The mages are fighting the draugr in the next hallway. Let's wait it out and see what happens." John told her.

"Agreed. It'd be better to wait things out then get caught up in the middle of it." Rose agreed. They both waited in the hallway for the fighting to stop. After about a minute, they didn't hear anymore fighting, only footsteps. A mage in black robes walked around the corner where John and Rose were. He saw them and immediately summoned fire in his hands. He shot a firebolt at them, but Rose threw up a ward and blocked the spell. John swung from the ward, and stepped out of it. He hit the mage and sent him flying against a wall. The mage fell down the ground. They both continued on, past the dead draugr and mages. They navigated many halls, fighting off draugr through out several rooms. Eventually, they came upon a large clearing like part of the tomb. "Oh my, it almost looks peaceful down here." Rose commented.

"Yeah, I mean if it wasn't for the fact we're still in a tomb... and the draugr." Rose just shook her head at John. They descended down a walkway leading to the ground. To their right was a gate, several gates in fact. There was a passageway with several gates that opened and closed in sequence, making walking through impossible. When the last gate opened, the first would close very quickly, followed by the others in order. "Oh great, how do we get through this?" John asked. 

"I believe the Greybeards may have given you that second shout for a reason."

"Huh?... Oh Yeah!" John had forgotten about the new shout he had learned. He stood back like he was getting ready to run. "Whul!" He sped through all the gates at the right moment, with them closing right behind him. They then all opened, and stayed open. Rose was able to walk through and join John on the other side.

He began to walk on, but she held out her arm to stop him. "John, watch out." She pointed to two pressure plate on the floor in front of them. 

"Oh geez, traps?"

"Yes, many ruins and tombs have traps in them. There' also trick as there is here."

"Huh? What trick?"

"Look at them closely." She pointed to them. "One is black, the other is the color of the stone it is made out of. I'm guessing that one's safe." John noticed it too after she pointed it out. He found a large rock nearby and picked it up. He tossed it at the white plate and it sunk down... nothing happened. "I guess it's safe." She walked over and John followed behind her. They stopped when the corner was a floor of pressure plates. 

"Ugh! This again?" John protested.

"Yes, it seems to be the same rule. There's a trail of normal pressure plates leading around the corner." She stepped on one. "Come on, there's no point in waiting around here." John followed her. The trailed lead into a room with two Frostbite Spiders. Rose used a fire spell to dispatch the one, while John beat down the other. The two of them continued on. The next room was the end that contained the horn. "Over there!" John cried out. Several stones rose from the water in the room and made a path to the treasure. John ran ahead, Rose decided just to walk. John was stopped at the alter and just stood there. "It's not here..." Rose stepped forward to see a golden hand, holding a note where the horn should be. She picked up the note and read it aloud.

"Dragonborn, if you're wondering who took the horn it was me. If you want it meet me in the Sleeping Giant in Riverwood. Rent the attic room.... A friend."

"That's.... cryptic."

"Indeed it is, but if we want that horn we have no choice."

"To Riverwood then?" John asked. She nodded.

"To Riverwood." 

The next day, there were in Riverwood and entered the Sleeping Giant. There was a bard playing the lute in the corner, a man at the bar, and a woman sweeping. The floors. She approached John as they both entered. "Can I help you two?"

"Yeah, we'd like to rent the attic room." John told her.

"Attic room, eh? Well we don't have an attic room, but you can have the one on the left. Enjoy your stay." She told them. John nodded and paid her 10 gold. He and Rose headed to the left room.

"Gee, I thought we were supposed to be meeting someone in the attic room." John said to Rose as he closed the door behind them.

"I think we already have." She told him. The door opened and the woman who gave them the room entered. 

"When I wrote that I was only expecting one visitor. So... which one of you is it?" She asked.

"I'm the Dragonborn." John introduced himself. "This is Rose, she's with me." 

"No offense, but I don't know if it's safe to bring her here. It's already a risky move for me to show myself."

"Either she goes with me or we leave." John told the woman, she sighed.

"Fine, I just hope i'm not making a mistake in trusting you two. Follow me." She led them across the Sleeping Giant into the room on the right that had a double bed. "Close the door." She told them. Rose closed the door behind them, making sure they were having a private discussion. The woman opened up and empty wardrobe and pushed on the back. The panel slid into the wall, revealing a secret staircase, the woman descended down the stairs. There was a small table in the center, and a few shelves and crates scattered along the wall. "Now we can talk." She said to them. "I see you've been to Ustengrov." 

"Yeah, who are you and what do you want?" John asked. Rose began to walk around the room and examine it. 

"Easy, i'm not going out of my way to harm you. I'm part of a group, one that's found interest in you as of late."

"Why's that?" John asked.

"You're part of the Blades, aren't you?' Rose asked. John turn to her, then saw a smirk on the woman's face. 

"Well, aren't you the sharp one?"

"The Akaviri Katana on the wall gave it away. My half-brother is the only other person I know who'd have one. Poor fool, doesn't even really know its history."

"Ok, i'm lost. Who are the Blades?" John asked.

"They were at one point, dragon hunters. They served the Empire and hunted down dragons. After the dragons disappeared, they served as bodyguards to the Emperor until the Great War. Their order was wiped by Thalmor forces, but some managed to escape."

"Very good, yes I am one of the remaining Blades after the Great War. I've been in hiding from the Thalmor for years. I took the horn in order to lure you here."

"Ok, so what is it you want with me?"

"Isn't it obvious? Dragons are coming back, and the Dragonborn is the only one who can permanently kill a dragon. Can you do it? Can you really destroy a dragon's soul?" 

"Yeah, I absorb energy from it, and it just turns into a skeleton." John informed her.

"Good, you'll have a chance to prove it then." She handed John the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller. "My name is Delphine by the way." 

"Thank you Delphine, but what do you mean 'i'll have the chance to prove it'?" John asked as he took the horn from her.

"Dragons aren't just coming back, they're coming back to life."

"Ummm... what?"

"I went to visit old dragon burial mounds, only to find them empty. Someone, or something is bringing them back."

"What?!" John was confused.

"You mean like some advanced form of Necromancy?' Rose asked.

"Something like that, yes. I think i've found the next grave site to be hit. I want to go there and investigate."

"This sounds insane, but it's our only lead... Where are we headed?" John asked.

"Kynesgrove, near Windhelm. That should be the next target." Delphine told them. "I need to get ready first." She went to a trunk and pulled out a set of leather armor, minus the helmet. She equipped the armor and hooked the katana to her belt. "Now then, let's go." They all headed upstairs. Once in the main room, she went to the bartender. "Orgnar, watch the Inn for me while i'm gone."

"Will do." He told her. John, Rose, and Delphine headed off for Kynesgrove.


	11. The Resurrection

It was snowing heavily up by Kynesgrove. John and Rose were following Delhpine to Kynesgrove, and they were getting close. The air was colder there than anywhere else John had been, and the snow was making it just feel like one big freezer. "How much farther is Kynesgrove?" John asked, clutching his arms around himself to try and keep warm.

"Not much farther... There it is." Delphine could see the small town of Kynesgrove ahead. It was just and Inn with a few crops nearby, and a trail leading to the mines and up the hill. But as they drew closer, they noticed people were fleeing the Inn. "Something's going on, come on." Delphine ran up ahead, John and Rose followed behind her. The last villager leaving the Inn saw the three of them approaching.

"You have to get out of here, a dragon's attacking!" She warned them.

"A dragon is attacking Kynesgrove?" John asked.

"Well, I don't know. It's just been flying around, but i'm not waiting around to find out. Everyone's hiding in the mines, I suggest you do the same." She ran off, and up the trail into the mines.

"Seems you were right about Kynesgrove." Rose told Delphine. "Let's go investigate."

"Right." The three of them went up the trail. It went past the mines and led up a hill, and to a large burial mound. That was the site of the dragon's remains, and there was a large black dragon flying around it. When they saw it, the three of them hid behind a rock. "Let's wait and see what's going on." Delphine whispered. The dragon hovered over the mound and began speaking in the dragon language.

"Hey, i've seen that dragon before." John whispered.

"Where?" Delphine asked.

"That's the one that attacked Helgen, i'm sure of it."

"Same dragon huh?" She turned her head to watch it again. Energy was coming forth from the grave, into the air. The skeletal remains of a dragon emerged from the ground. "By the nine." Muscle and scales began to return to the skeleton, and soon it was a complete dragon again. It began to speak with the other dragon in the dragon language. They then turned the direction John was and began to speak.

"Do they know we're here?" John whispered.

"Yes John, they are speaking to you." Rose said at normal volume. John gulped.

"You do not even speak our tongue, yet you dare call yourself a dovah? Such arrogance." The large black one spoke to him. John was too afraid to speak. It talked to the other one and flew off. The second dragon took to the skies.

"Time for some action." Delphine ran from behind the rock. The dragon hovered above the rock, John and Rose moved just as the dragon shot ice from its mouth.

"Great, they can breath ice now too?" John said as he took out his hammer.

"This is a Frost Dragon, they can do that." Delphine told him. The dragon flew around them, and tried to make a pass at Rose. She began charging magicka in her wands. It got closer, then too close. It was planning on grabbing her, but Rose created an intense fire storm spell, burning the dragon severely and setting it alight.

"Frost melts." She said with a smirk. The now on fire dragon turned again and could no longer fly. It slid into the ground and snow, ending in the opening where it was revived. The three of them were carefully circling it. It tried to fly again, but its wings were badly burnt. It tried to bite John, who smacked it in the face with the handle of his hammer. It flinched back. Rose began charging magic again. She used an ice spell to freeze one of the dragon's wings, encasing it in ice. It tried to turn to her, but the heavy ice made it lopsided. Delphine just ended up attacking it while it was trying to move. It yelled out in pain. It was time to finish this, Rose charged one last powerful spell. She shot out a strong concentrated ice spell, turning the dragon into a large chunk of ice. John raised his hammer and smashed the ice dragon. It shattered into bits and was destroyed.

"Well, that takes care of that." Delphine said. They all approached the shattered ice pieces. They began to melt. "Hold on, what's going on?" Energy began to come off the bits of ice and circled around John. Soon, all the pieces were gone and John absorbed the energy from the dragon. Delphine stood there silent for a moment. "So it's true... you really are Dragonborn."

"I told you I was." John just smiled a little.

"And you were right. But what about that other dragon, the one bringing the others back?"

"I have no clue, but i'm positive that's the same one that attacked Helgen."

"I think I know where we can find out." Rose entered the conversation. "John, let's go to Windhelm and take the carriage. I know someone who may know what's going on here."

A while later, and their carriage let them off in Winterhold. It was bigger than Kynesgrove, but still not much for a hold capital. John was still freezing. B-brrrr, it's so freaking cold. Where are we anyway?"

"Winterhold, it's a little bit North of Windhelm."

"More North?! Jeez, no wonder it's so cold." He looked around the small city. "Not much here either, where are we going." He followed her on the path through town.

"There." She pointed to a large circular structure over the ocean. There was along bridge that led to it, and curved at points."

"Wait, Farengar said something about a college up here... Is that it?"

"Very good John, yes that is the College of Winterhold. It's where mages from all over come to learn."

"And where you grew up." He added.

"Yes, it seems you remember what I told you."

"Well, you're a pretty interesting person." He smiled at her, she tried to hide her own. They got to the narrow, winding bridge that led to the college. There was a High Elf outside, as if guarding the entrance. She noticed John approaching.

"Halt, you are not allowed entrance to the college. The path is dangerous and the gates will not open."

"It's ok Faralda, he's with me." Rose stepped in front of John.

"It's good to see you again Rose, it's been awhile. Who is this you've brought with you."

"His name is John, we need to get in."

"Why is that? Can he even do any magic?"

"No, i'm his magical companion. Don't worry, he's not going to cause any trouble." Faralda looked at John who just smiled and waved. She sighed.

"Well he seems nice enough. You can enter as long as he stays with you."

"Don't worry, I won't lost him." rose turned to John. "Now don't go wandering off on me." She mock waved her finger at him.

"Fiiiiiiiine." He joked back, acting like a child. Faralda allowed them to pass and enter the college. "Are we there yet?" John tried to annoy Rose.

"Don't make me turn this group around mister." John tried not to laugh.

"So, what's so dangerous about this path anyway?"

"Nothing really, that' more just to scare off those who would try to do harm to the college. Only an idiot or a drunk would actually fall off the bridge. They got to the gate and Rose raised her hand at it. It opened up for her and they both entered the circular courtyard of the college. Rose led him straight across it and into the main tower. Once inside, there was an older man who noticed Rose walking in.

"Rose, it's been so long since you last visited. How have you been?"

"Hello Tolfdir, i'm doing well. I wish we could speak more, but I need to see Terezi."

"I see, she's up in the Arcanaeum as usual." He noticed John. "Well then, who's this?"

"Hi, i'm John." John extended his hand to Tolfdir who shook it.

"Hello John, my name is Tolfdir. I'm the head on Alteration magic here. Are you by any chance a new student?"

"No, i'm here because Rose said we need to go speak to someone."

"Ah, you need to see Terezi too. Odd, you don't seem like the type to practice magic."

"Uhhhh, do dragon shouts count?"

"Dragon shouts? Wherever on Nirn did you learn a thing like that?"

"John is Dragonborn, that's part of why we need ot see Terezi. Dragons are coming back."

"Oh dear... Seems you have quite the issue on your hand, i'll let you get to it." Tolfdir left them and Rose led him up the stairs to the Arcanaeum. It was a circular library with a desk on the opposite side of the entrance. Rose went up to the front desk, and Orc in yellow mage robes was sitting there.

"Rose, i'm surprised to see you again. What brings you back?"

"Hello Urag, I need to speak with Terezi."

"Very well, just watch your friend there so he doesn't harm anything." He stood up. "Terezi!" He shouted across the room.

"What?!" A female troll dressed in fine clothes came around the corner of a circular wall. She had pointy horns atop her head, and here eyes were completely red. She sniffed the air for a reason John couldn't seem to understand. "I smell lavender, who's there? Ampora or Lalonde?"

"It is I Terezi." Rose said to her. Terezi began to cackle and grin.

"Rose, it's been far to long! What brings you to me today?" She sniffed the air again. "Oh, and I smell you've brought company."

"Uhhhh..." John stammered.

"Terezi, this is my friend John. John, this is Terezi, expert authority on dragons here."

"Heheheh, indeed I am." She cackled.

"Terezi, we need your help. Dragons... they're coming back." Rose told her friend.

"What? Are you serious?"

"Yes, she is." John spoke up. "Helgen was destroyed by a dragon, and that same one we saw bringing another dragon back from its grave." Terezi's look then became very serious.

"Follow me." She told them. She led them to a small round table and put a book down on it. "A long, long time ago that predates even the first era, dragons ruled over men and mir." She told them. "They served the dragons, and the dragons all served under Alduin. He was the head of all the dragons, black as night with eyes as red as hell. He could even destroy a mortal's soul."

"How?" John asked.

"He had a mountain temple, off where only the dragons could fly to reach. It contained a portal to Sovngarde, where he would devour the souls of the Nords who died. Only those who could reach Shor's Hall were safe. Aludin ruled with complete obedience. That was until 3 Nord heroes fought him atop the Throat of the World. One died during the rebellion, but the others managed to banish him through time. They used an Elder Scroll to banish him, hoping he would never return. But time flows on, many who know of the tale believe Alduin will one day return. If what you said is true, if there really is a dragon bringing the other dragons back, then i'm afraid he's returned. It most likely is the end of the world." She closed the book. "I'm sorry."

"It may not necessarily be the end of the world." Rose told Terezi.

"What? How?"

"John here is dragonborn, he can destroy a dragon's soul." Terezi gasped.

"That's why he smells so good!" She turned to John. "If you really are dragonborn, then you are our only hope. It is up to you to defeat Alduin and save us all."

"That's... pretty heavy. Wow..." John felt the weight of his duties hammering him.

"That's as much as I can help you. You need to find Alduin's Wall, it will tell you the story of Alduin and what will happen."

"Where is Alduin's Wall?" John asked. Terezi was silent for a moment, she went to another pile of books. She began rummaging around and moving books. They couldn't really see what she was doing. Eventually she turned around and gave John a book.

"Try reading a book." She told him before wandering off. John was confused.

A while later, John and Rose were walking back to Riverwood. There was no carriage at Winterhold, and the one in Windhelm wasn't there when they got back to Windhelm. They stayed the night at the Inn in Kynesgrove and headed off in the early morning. The sun was about to come up when Rose and John were walking out of Kynsegrove. "We have a lot of walking ahead." John tried to make conversation.

"I don't think i'm ever going to get used to all this walking, I always just stayed in my cabin all day."

"Heh, you catch cabin fever?" She smiled a little at his joke. "John, that was so corny."

"Yeah, I know." He examined the book Terezi gave him. "I wonder why she gave me this? _Alduin is Real_ , yeah I already know that."

"She intends for you to read it John, or would you rather I do it for you?" He handed her the book.

"Please."

"Just make sure I don't accidentally wander into a Giant camp."

"I could take them, don't worry." John's confidence was showing. Rose opened up the cover of the book and smirked.

"Very clever Pyrope."

"Huh, what?" Rose pulled a note out of the book, it was wedged between the front cover, and first page. It read...

" _Rose,_

_I couldn't speak about this earlier, the Thalmor have planted an agent at the College._   
_You need to find a remaining member of the Blades._   
_They know about Alduin's Wall, and may know where it is located._   
_They are being viciously hunted by the Thalmor, so it will not be easy._   
_I wish you both the best of luck on your quest._

_-Terezi Pyrope_ "

"It seems we need to speak with Delphine again." Rose folded the note again.


	12. Party Crashers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John and Rose go to a Thalmor party to investigate The Blades.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to update, I got caught up with work. Have some Grimdorks fluff to make up for it.

The hidden panel to Delphine's hidden room opened up. She heard footsteps descending downstairs, and the hidden panel closed back up. John and Rose entered the hidden basement room where Delphine was. "There you two are, did you find anything out?"

"Delphine, what do you know about Alduin's Wall?" Rose asked her.

"Alduin's wall? Not much, i'm not even sure it exists. Why?"

"Damn. We need to find it and we were told to ask members of the Blades."

"Hmmm..." Delphine thought to herself. "There may be someone ho can help. My old friend Esbern, he knew more about the history of the Blades than anyone I know. He'll know what Alduin's Wall is."

"Great! Where is he?" John asked.

"That's the problem, I don't know. I haven't seen him since the Blades disbanded."

"Shoot! There's gotta be some way to find him."

"There just might be..." Delphine pondered. "The Thalmor keep very good tabs on their enemies, I have no doubt they are still searching for me. If anyone could find Esbern, they could. Problem is they're not exactly going to just hand out their files, and the embassy is locked tighter than a miser's purse."

"But you have a plan, don't you?" Rose asked.

"Yes, i've been planning this for some time now." She confirmed Rose's curiosity. "Every year, their head emissary Elenwen, holds a part full of nobles and other sorts up at the embassy. I could forge an invitation and get you both in."

"That sounds kinda dangerous." John wasn't exactly feeling to great about that plan.

"Plus, how are we supposed to slip out unseen?" Rose added.

"Don't worry, I have a plan for that. I have an inside man working at the party. He'll sneak whatever gear you need inside and slip you away unseen."

"This all sounds really risky." John was nervous.

"I know it is, but I wouldn't be asking you to do this if I didn't think you two couldn't handle this.

John sighed. "And you're sure we can trust this friend of yours?"

"I'm positive, the Thalmor murdered his family. He hates them more than any of us here."

"Talos worshipers?" Rose asked.

"No, my associate is a Wood Elf. His whole village was wiped out by one of the unheard of purges in Valenwood."

"Oh Dear." Rose said quietly, holding a hand up to her mouth.

"Alright..." John said out of nowhere. "I'm ready." He turned to Rose.

"Yes, we are doing this. We're making this happen."

John and Rose entered the gate to Solitude up north. It was a large city, and unfamiliar to them. Rose's hood was still up to keep her identity concealed. They walked to the Inn near the entrance, that's where they were supposed to meet Delphine's associate. The entered the Winking Skeever and looked around. There was a Wood Elf sitting in a corner alone. John and Rose both approached him. "Can I help you?" He asked curiously.

"Our mutual friend sent us." Rose told him.

"Ah, sit then." He greeted them, motioning his hand for them to sit with him. They both sat down at the table. "Have you brought what you need?" John put a large bag he was carrying on the table.

"Here, it's armor and our weapons. Sure you can sneak it in?"

"Of course, that's why i'm here." He took the large sack and sat it on the ground next to him. "Delphine said she'd be waiting at the farm down the road. She's expecting you there." John and Rose nodded and left without a word, their business done. They headed down the road, John dressed in normal clothing and Rose in her robes still. They arrived at the small farm down the road to find Delphine waiting there with a carriage nearby. "There you two are." She greeted them. "Is everything set?" 

"Yup, we gave your friend our gear and weapons. We're ready to go." John told her.

"Not quite yet. You're not going to blend in like that." She pointed to the clothes they were wearing. "This is a high end party, you'll need some fancy clothes. Thankfully I have some here for you. She went to a trunk set nearby with two sets of clothes of top. Fancy dress coat, shirt, pants, and shoes for John and a bright orange long dress for Rose. John began to put his dress clothes on top of his old ones, while Rose just stared at her dress. 

"I'm not a big fan of dresses to being with, but I don't think this is gonig to help." 

"Why's that?" Delphine crossed her arms and looked at Rose puzzled. Rose sighed. 

"If you trusted us enough to reveal your identity, I suppose I can trust you with this." She lowered her hood, revealing her lavender eyes. Delphine looked at her wordlessly.

"Ah, that would be a problem." Delphine looked around then went back over to the trunk and came over with a cloth hat. She tore off part of it and went over to Rose. She fixated it across Rose's eyes, making her blind at the same time.

"Well that solved one problem, but how am I supposed to see?"

"You're not, at least not for now." Delphine told her as she knotted the band over Rose's eyes. "You'll be playing the role of John's blind spouse at the party." 

"What?!" John was surprised by that.

"Good luck, you have a party to get to." Delphine left them on those final words. Rose and John were just standing there by the carriage. 

"John." Rose called out to him. "I can't see anything, you're going to have to guide me." 

"Uhh, h-how am I supposed to do that?" He asked nervously. 

"By being a proper gentleman." She held her elbow out. John gulped and took her arm with his, guiding her over to the carriage. The carriage arrived at the Embassy at dusk. John helped Rose get out of the carriage without hurting herself. He held her arm in arm up to the embassy. A Redguard was arriving next to them. "Arriving a little late as well? That's fine, I never cared much for these parties." He joked when they passed. John led Rose up the stairs to the front door. There were two Thalmor soldiers on guard out front. "Greetings, welcome to the Embassy. May I have your invitations?"

"Here you are." John handed the guard two invitations for him and Rose. The guard held them under the torch light to make sure they were real. 

"Alright then, go on ahead you two. Enjoy your stay."

John nodded and headed on inside, guiding Rose with his arm around her's. The embassy was nicely decorated and well furnished. It was full of famous or politically important figures with the music of a lute softly giving of ambiance. John looked around and led Rose along with him. He was approached by Elenwen, the head ambassador for the Thalmor in Skyrim. "I do not believe we have introduced." She noticed the cloth around Rose's eyes. "Oh my, are you alright?" 

"Yes, i'm fine. I blinded myself years ago by experimenting with fire spells. Thankfully my husband here has been a big help." 

"That is most unfortunate, but I did not catch your names."

"Elenwen." A familiar voice called out. It was Malborn, the Wood Elf who was acting as a secret agent. "We're all out of Alto Wine, what should we do?"

"Go get some more from the basement you twat." She snarled at him. She turned back to John and Rose. "I'm sorry, we'll have to catch up sometime later. I have something that I must attend to." With that, she walked off to deal with the issue at the bar. John led Rose into the main room where the other guests were gathered. The music began to change and the room began to shift. "John, what's going on?" Rose asked. 

"People are starting to dance." He told her. 

"Perhaps we should as well." Rose suggested, a little smirk on her face.

"Wh-what?" John stammered, his palms starting to get sweaty. 

"We should dance." She told him. "To blend in more. Can you dance?" 

"Yeah, my family used to go to royal balls when I was younger. Can you?"

"Of course, I did suggest it." John led her into the center of the room where others were coupled and dancing. John took her hand is his and they got into position...

The music gave a soft ambiance and they moved in sync with one another. Step by step they flowed with the music and the movements of each other. They began to enjoy it and even had some fun. Rose enjoyed being able to interact with other people without being judged. John had been such a good friend to here over the past few days. John was enjoying dancing again like when he was a child. He could tell Rose was enjoying herself too and he took comfort in that. Deep down, he thought the idea of acting as her husband might not be so bad. Then the music stopped as did the dancing. John took Rose's hand and led her away from the others.

"Well, that was exciting." She said. "I haven't had that much fun in awhile." 

"Heh." John didn't know what to say, instead just blushing and smiling at her. There was a drunken 'Yeah!' heard nearby. Razelan, the Redguard who arrived with them was not so sober on a bench nearby. "Hey waiter, bring me another drink." He beckoned

"Sire, you've had enough." The waiter said, then passing Razelan to serve the other guests. Razelan made a drunken noise of protest then just sat there on the bench, watching the other guests. A little light bulb lit up inside Rose's head. "John, I have an idea." She told him. "Take me to the bar." John led her over to the bar, when she felt it she stepped up in front of Malborn. 

"Good job on getting here, but you'll need a distraction to slip away unnoticed." He whispered to them.

"I thought so." Rose whispered back. "One Colovian Brandy please." she said normally.

"Here you are ma'am." Malborn kept up his guise and handed her a bottle. John stood there confused and the followed her when she began to walk off. She went to where she heard Razelan speak. He was still setting there watching everyone, and drunk. "Excuse me, I may be able to help you get a drink." Rose said to him, holding the bottle of brandy in her hands. "But I need you to do something for me." Razelan look at her happy.

"Hah, sure! Whatever you need." She held the bottle out to him. 

"I need you to create a distraction."

"Fine i've had it with this party anyway." He took a swig of the bottle and stood up. Rose stepped back and bumped into John. He held her arms and watched her plan unfold. He asked for everyone's attention and the music stopped. He began to make a speech about the party and poking fun at it. When he turned his speech to Elenwen, John and Rose decided it was time to make their leave. John led her to the bar with Malborn waiting. "Good job, let's go while they're distracted. He led them behind the bar and through a door to the kitchen. John was behind Rose, guiding her through the kitchen. There was a Khajit chef there who was preparing food when she saw Malborn coming through with John and Rose. "What are you doing Malborn? You know guests aren't allowed in the kitchen." 

"Leave them alone, the poor girl isn't feeling well and is already blind as it is." 

"You're going to get in trouble." She warned him.

"Oh really?" He stopped and turned to her. "Well maybe Elenwen needs to hear about your Skooma problem as well." The Khajit hissed at him.

"Fine, I didn't see a thing." She went back to making food. Malborn led John and Rose out the next door into a small corner room. "Your gear is in that chest, go through here. "He unlocked the door into the embassy which led down a hallway. John retrieved his armor and warhammer from the chest. Rose took of her blindfold. 

"I will never understand how Terezi can live like that." She commented, retrieving her wands from the chest. She also wish she had known to pack her robes, as John put his Companion's Wolf Armor on. They both went out into the hallway and Malborn closed and locked the door behind them. Whispering one last "Good luck."

The courtyard outside was guarded by several Thalmor soldiers patrolling the grounds. John and Rose ducked behind a stone wall to hide in the dark and behind cover. John poked his head out over the wall a bit to watch the patrols. Rose was wishing she had known to pack her robes, she was freezing in her dress. John saw and opening and signaled Rose to move up. They both crouch walked behind some decorative shrubs and waited. A patrol of two soldiers passed by on the opposite side of the hedge. John and Rose waited for their torchlight to pass before heading up again. Once it was dark again, they snuck up to the front of the main building of the embassy. They quietly slipped inside, shutting the door behind them without making a sound. The main building was surprisingly unguarded, leaving them more time to search. "Where do you think we should look?" John asked, looking around the large foyer. 

"John." Rose got his attention. She pointed to a sign, with 'Elenwen's Office' engraved on it. There was an open doorway leading to the largest office within the embassy. They began their search there. John began looking through the desk, while Rose found a chest nearby. She opened it up and found a few small notebooks. They were dossiers on Thalmor targets, with the names written on the front. "Found them." Rose said, taking out a few books. She grabbed the one with Esbern's name written on it and began looking through it. "It says here they believe he's in Riften, down in the ratway." She closed the dossier with a thump and tucked it between her arms.

"The ratway?" John asked.

"The sewers, technically. Ratway is just a nickname given to it."

"Oh, because of the rats?" 

"I suppose, but the rats aren't the worst thing down there. The Thieves Guild has their hideout down there, as well as the other rouge scum wandering about." John gulped at hearing this. "Not to worry my dear John, I can get us there safely." 

"R-really?"

"Yes..." Rose began walking off "...After all, my brother is in the Thieves Guild." John went after her as they searched for a back exit.

"Really?" He asked her.

"Yes, he's been with them for awhile. Never was good at doing labor, he founding thieving so much easier... Ah, here we are." Rose found a set of stairs leading into a basement. She and John descended down below. They found themselves in a dungeon, with 3 holding cells and a Thalmor guard. He went into the first cell and began speaking with a prisoner. "I'll ask you again, where is he?"

"I don't know. All I know is there's a crazy old man in the ratway." The prisoner in the cell spoke softly, he was obviously injured and tired. John motioned Rose to quietly sneak down the stairs. They both quietly went down the stairs and crept up on the guard. 

"Where in the sewers? Tell me or i'll..." He was cut off by John, who got his wrist around the guard's throat and choked him out. The guard was unconscious on the floor quickly. Rose went up to the prisoner, who had his arms bound against the wall and was blindfolded. 

"What's that? What's going on?" He asked. 

"Shhhh..." Rose put a finger to his lips. "We're here to get you out, but tell us what you told that guard."

"Sure, there's an old man hiding out deep in the ratways, locks himself in his room all day and won't talk to anyone. He pays us to bring him food, but we don't pay him much attention besides that." John undid the cuffs from the wall and freed his arms. "Ah, that feels so much better." He took off his blindfold and looked Rose straight in the eyes. He chuckled. "Here I thought your family brought bad luck, not rescued me from it."

Rose gave him an unamused look. "When you get back to Riften, tell Dave his sister will be coming to see him." That caught the thief's attention.

"Sister?" He asked, standing up on his feet.

"Half-sister, to be precise." She told him. The door to the dungeon opened and the three of them ducked below the bars, hiding behind a wood panel connected to the ground. There was 3 Thalmor guards, and they had Malborn with them. 

"Attention intruders, we have your accomplice." The one dressed in robes announced. "Surrender now and he will live." She motioned the two armed soldiers to head downstairs, while she watched the prisoner. They drew their swords and went down to search the cells. John, Rose, and the thief were cornered.

"Great, what now?" The thief asked quietly. The two guards were on the lower level.

"I have a plan. I'll take out the one watching Melborn. John, take the other two." She whispered to them.

"Got it." John said. The thief silently pulled a dagger off the unconscious guard. 

"I think I can help. He told them. Static began emanating from Rose's wand. She poked her head up to look through the bars and took aim. A single bolt of electricity shot through the bars of the cell window and through the chest of the female Thalmor in robes. She fell back and slid down against the wall. The two other guards looked back to see what was going on. The thief popped out from the cell and threw the dagger. It landed in the left Thalmor's neck. He held his wound and fell to the ground. John rushed out with his hammer and caught the second guard distracted by his partner falling. He turned just in time for the side of his face to be slammed by John's hammer. The guard let go of his sword and spun through the air, landing atop his dead companion, slain himself. Rose came out from the cell and Malborn came downstairs to join them. "Thanks for saving me, but now what am I going to do? The Thalmor will be hunting me the rest of my life." 

"Don't worry, i'm sure you'll figure something out." John told him with a smile, while he put his hammer on his back again. Malborn just gave him a look.

"Yes, remember there are still places the Thalmor can not be." Rose reassured him.

"That's the spirit." Rose turned to the thief. "Is there a back way out of here?"

"Aye, over here." He led them to a trapdoor in a small space in the room. "They dump the dead prisoners down here. Don't know where it goes, but it should lead out of here." 

"Let's go then." Malborn walked to it. 

"Only problem is it's locked." The thief said. 

"That won't be an issue." Rose stepped forward with her wands. She used an ice spell and froze the lock. John stomped on it as hard as he could and it shattered. He opened up the trapdoor and the others jumped down. John followed and closed the door. They were in a small tunnel that only went one way. "Exit must be this way." The thief said, starting down that direction.

"Wait." Rose said, both he and Malborn stopped, John was standing behind Rose. "You said they dump bodies down here?" 

"Aye, what of it?"

"Well if they do, where are all the bodies?" That was a good point. They all looked around, and nothing, not a single corpse within the hallway. "I don't think we're the only ones down here." She said. Her theory was was proven correct when there was a roar through the tunnel. 

"Trolls." Malborn said. "Great." They walked down the tunnel and it made a small drop into an ice cave. "Frost trolls at that."

"What are Frost Trolls?" John asked. 

"They're just like the other trolls, but they're white, and much tougher." The thief said. 

"Which makes fire and even better tool against them." Rose said. "We should all head down together, stay close to me. They're afraid of fire." Everyone nodded and they all went down at once. The Frost Troll was in a corner and started for them when they descended. Rose created a small flamethrower effect with her wand. The troll stopped and roared. She kept the fire to it as they backed up. 

"Over there." The thief pointed to an exit tunnel. They began walking backwards, keeping the troll at bay. They got closer and closer, and the troll knew its meal was getting away. It had to act fast. The Frost Troll lunged and in one smack knocked Rose's wand away and knocked her away. Malborn and the thief they saved ran away. John took his hammer and swung it at the troll. He smacked the troll hard and it yelled in pain. It grabbed his hammer and roared in John's face. It shoved him back and John fell to the ground, his hammer flew through the air and fell down a crevice. John was on the ground and turned his head, he saw the troll going for Rose. She tried to crawl away but it grabbed her and slammed her head into the dirt. That made John angry, really angry. He wasn't going to just lay there and let some animal kill his friend. He got up to his feet, the troll picked up Rose and had its jaws open. John ran up to it and jumped, he brought his elbow down on its head. Rose fell from its grasp and the creature roared. It turned to John, who jumped and stepped up off the creature's knee. John raised his own knee into the jaw of the troll and it stumbled back. John kept his arms raised out in fighting stance and his fists clenched. All that training with the Companions was paying off. The troll tried to rush him and John gave it a swift kick in the gut. He then spun and used the back of his fist to hit the troll's third eye. It held its eye with one hand and frantically reached out with the other. John grabbed it and used a move Jade had taught him. He used the troll's arm as a lever and threw the creature over his hip. The troll went flying through the air and landed back first into a large ice pile that shattered on contact. The Frost Troll was down and made a few soft moans. It lifted its head on last time, before John stomped it down, breaking the troll's neck. He stood there bruised but victorious, then remembering Rose. She was managing to pull herself up along side a rock. John went over to help her. "Rose, are you alright?"

"...Peachy." She said, some blood dripping down her face. She saw the dead troll on the ground there. "Did you... did you do that?" 

"Oh, yeah... heheh. I wasn't just going to let you die here." He said smiling at her. She looked from the troll back to John, back to the troll, then back to John. 

"Thank you." She said with a smile. 

"Any time." He picked up her wands off the ground and gave them to her. 

"Let's get back to Riverwood so I can change and clean up, then we'll head for Riften."


	13. The Thieves Guild

John and Rose were wandering about the Ratways under Riften. Rose was back in her purple robes that Delphine was holding onto. John had also bought a Steel Warhammer from Alvor while in Riverwood. Now they were on their way to the secret hideout of one of the most dangerous groups in Skyrim. "Where are we even going Rose?" John asked after about five minutes in. 

"It's a bit tricky to get to, but I assure you I know where we're going. She led him down a small set of stairs in a small room. 

"Why would they be hiding out in a smelly cramped place like this?" John asked.

"They actually live in the cistern, which is quite big I assure you." She stopped and turned to him. She looked like she wanted to say something. then didn't. Instead just looking at him. 

"What?" He asked. John then noticed something. Someone was rummaging around in his pockets. John grabbed the unseen thief's arm and threw him using the same technique he used on the troll. Rose stepped back and the thief was on the ground in front of them. 

"All right, all right, uncle." He said with his hands up, trying to catch his breath. He was wearing the armor of the Thieves Guild, minus the hood. He was also wearing black goggles with a brown strap that matched his armor. Rose be over him and looked down upon him. 

"Dear brother, what ever made you think it was a good idea to steal from someone in the Companions?" She asked.

"Uh, money. Duh." He told her, pulling himself up off the ground. "Heard you were coming, i knew you missed me."

"Very funny. No, I need to talk to you?" 

"About what, and why are you with a Companion?" 

"My name is John." 

"Sup John? The name's Dave." Dave casually introduced himself. 

"There's an old man hiding out down here somewhere, hides in a room all day and has your friends bring him food." Rose said.

"Yeah, what of him? You have a crush?"

"Cute... No, we need to find him and you know where he is." 

"All right, I see how is it." He said slyly. "Follow me." Dave led them through the Ratways, and soon into the hidden tavern The Ragged Flagon. Dave led them to a small table where they all sat down. "Well, it seems you need my help for once."

"Yes Dave, where is he?"

"We'll get to that, but first tell me. What is so special about this old geezer?" 

"He's one of what remains of The Blades." Rose told him.

"You mean the Emperor's bodyguards?"

"Yes, and at one point dragon hunters. But now they're hunted by the Thalmor."

"I see, well nothing in this world is free." He said, leaning on the table. 

"You want us to pay you?"

"Do you even have any money?"

"Not much."

"Didn't think so." Dave leaned back in his chair. "No, i'm thinking more a favor for a favor." 

"What kind of favor?" John asked.

"We have a client who's been having some problems with Aringoth, the High Elf who owns Goldenglow Estate out on the lake. We need someone to go steal from him, and burn down a couple of beehives."

"So you want us to do your job for you?" John asked.

"Basically." Dave said. 

"So, you want us to burn part of the honey that supplies Black-Briar Mead? That would make misses Black-Briar very upset, unless of course she ordered it." Rose said slyly. Dave smirked. 

"Of course you'd figure that out. Yeah, she wants him to pay. He's stopped sending her honey and hired private bodyguards to fortify his little island. So we're gonna teach him a lesson by burning a couple hives and taking whatever he has in his safe." 

"Wait, who's miss Black-Briar?" Dave gave him a dumbfounded look.

"Are you serious?" 

"He's not from around here Dave." Rose said. "John, Maven Black-Briar is the head of one of the most powerful families in Skyrim. She owns one of the largest mead breweries in Skyrim and has many connections to both the Thieves Guild and the Dark Brotherhood." 

"Right, and she's one of our biggest employers. So, we need to do this job, or rather you need to do this job. What do you say?" Dave held his hand out, Rose and John looked at each other. 

"Well, what do you think John?" She asked. He responded by shaking Dave's hand.

"Deal."

Later that night, over at Goldenglow Estate. The front gate was smashed in, and all the guards around it were slain. The guards around the house and hives were killed as well, two hives were burning brightly, sending large plumes of smoke into the night sky. The door to the manor was kicked in, dead guards lined the halls. The only life was in Aringoth's room, where John was beating him up. John had Aringoth pinned up against the wall, holding his shirt with one hand and punching him with the other. Rose was standing by and watching as John was pummeling him. Rose raised her hand and John stopped. "Now then Mister Aringoth, will you hand over that key or shall I have my friend here continue?" John raised his fist and Aringoth flinched. 

"All right, all right!" He pulled a key out of his pocket and handed it over. "Just take it." Rose grabbed the key from him and John let him go. 

"I'm going to go make sure you're telling the truth. Stay here and watch him John." John nodded and Aringoth cowered in a corner. Rose left the room and headed to the basement. She found the safe and used the key. It worked and the safe clicked open. Rose took 300 gold coins from it as well as a flawless amethyst, a garnet ring and a bill of sale. Rose read the slip of paper to find Aringoth had sold the property to an unknown buyer. The paper was marked only by a symbol. Rose folded it back up and took it with her as she headed back upstairs. John was still waiting for her, never letting an eye off Aringoth. "Find anything?" He asked her.

"Plenty." She replied, pulling out the bill. She went over to Aringoth and held it in front of him. "This symbol, who did you sell the property to?"

"N-no, I can'i tell you. They'll kill me!" Rose backed off. 

"John..." John stepped forward to him again. Aringoth cringed in the corner and threw his arms up.

"Karliah! It was Karliah alright!" He was chattering in fear in the corner. John gave Rose a confused look and she shrugged, not recognizing the name either.

"Alright then, we'll leave you. I suggest you go into hiding after this." Rose told him. Both her and John departed, leaving a fear stricken Aringoth behind. They returned the next day to the Flagon. They both entered the room and headed to the seating. They were stopped on the ramp by Dirge, the large bouncer. "What are you two doing here?" He questioned them.

"We're here to see Dave." Rose told him.

"Really? And why's that?" 

"It's on business." 

"Well maybe you should take your business somewhere else." He said. John stepped up in front of him. 

"My name is John Egbert, I am Harbinger of the Companions." Dirge was taken aback.

"Oh yeah, I heard about the new harbinger. Right this way." He moved out of the way to let them pass. Dave was sitting at a table, having a drink when they approached him. 

"You guys get it done already?" 

"You bet we did." John said jokingly. 

"You get anything good out of that safe?" 

"Yes, both money and some information I think your superiors are going to have a field day with." Rose told him. 

"Really?" Dave asked. "Well in that case I think we should go talk to them, follow me." Dave got up from the table and led them to the passageway and a cabinet. He unlocked the cabinet and it opened, revealing a secret passage. He led them through it and through a door into the large open cistern of the ratways. "Just stay quiet, and follow me." Dave whispered to them. He led them across the cistern and to a table on the other side. There was a Nord and Breton by the desk, one wearing a darker outfit that the others. He was the one that spoke when Dave approached. "Dave, who are these two? What are they doing here?" 

"This is my half-sister Rose, and her friend John. They're the ones I sent to do the Goldenglow job." 

"They pulled off the Goldenglow job?" The other one asked. 

"Yup. My sister said she got the money in the safe there was something she learned there." He moved out of her way, Rose approached the table.

""My name is Mercer Frey, i'm the leader here." The Breton in the darker outfit introduced himself. "This is Brynjolf, my second in command. Tell us, what did you find at Goldenglow?"

"Aringoth sold the estate." Rose pulled out the paper and handed it to Mercer. He took it and looked it over.

"So it seems. This is not going to make Maven happy. Especially since we don't know who he sold it to." 

"There's no name?" Brynjolf asked.

"No, only this symbol." Mercer showed the symbol to Brynjolf.

"We interrogated him for that." Rose told them. "He said it like it was someone we should recognize, a Karliah." 

There was a simultaneous "What?!" From Mercer, Brynjolf, and Dave. "No... it can't be." Mercer said, beginning to crumple the paper in his tight grasp. 

"Why now? Why is she choosing to show up now of all times?" Brynjolf asked. 

"I don't know." Mercer told him before turning back to Rose. "If anyone here told me this, i'd keep them here for questioning, but there's no way either of you would know that name. So, keep whatever you found in the safe, as a thank you." Mercer walked off with the document in hand. 

"Dave, who's Karliah?" Rose asked. 

"She's a former member of the Thieve's Guild, she killed Gallus, the last leader of the Thieves Guild." Brynjolf told them.

"And my brother." Dave clenched his fists. He let out and deep breath and calmed down. "You guys did your job, so i'll honor my side of the agreement. Go through the do by the secret entrance back in the Flagon. It only goes one way, you'll find the old man at the end locked in his room." Dave left to cool off. 

"You're looking for the old man?" 

"Yes, he's a member of The Blades. We need to get to him before the Thalmor do."

"The Blades? Huh, never would have guessed." Brynjolf was surprised. "Well it's best you go fetch him them, the Thalmor would be bad for business." John and Rose both left the hideout and followed Dave's directions. They went deeper into the ratways in search for Esbern. They soon came upon a square room with an upper part to it. They went up the stairs to the upper part and saw a wooden door with a slot. They went up and John knocked on it. The slot opened and there was Esbern inside.

"Who's there?" He asked defensively. 

"Esbern, is that you?" John asked. 

"What, no i'm not Esben. Go away."

"Esbern, my name is John, Delphine sent me." 

"Delphine? Is that true." 

"Yes, she needs your help. *We* need your help." 

"I haven't heard that name in years, but I wonder.."

"It's ok, you can trust me Esbern. I'm dragonborn." 

"What? Is that true?" Esbern asked suprised. John stepped back and turned to the wall on his left.

"Fus, Ro, Dah!" John's Thu'um slammed into the wall and destroyed part of it, shaking the room. 

"My word... you are dragonborn... There's no way someone so young would know a complete shout. But who is she?" He looked at Rose. "Why is her hood down?" John looked at her and she looked at him, wondering what to do. He nodded.

"We're going to have to trust him completely for him to trust us. You'll be ok Rose, I promise." He gave her a big smile and she just melted. She turned to Esbern.

"My name is Rose Lalonde..." She pulled her hood down. "I've been traveling with John to try and clear my family name." 

"Lalonde? Dragonborn, you are aware of the curse right?"

"The curse isn't real." He told Esbern. "It was just a lie to shun her family from the rest of the world."

"A false curse and physical deform? My god, that's evil genius. Please come in." He began opening many many locks and undoing chains. The whole process took about 10 seconds but it seemed to drag on. The door opened when Esbern had finally unlocked the door. The two of them stepped in the small room. "So, what brings you here dragonborn?"

"We need to locate Alduin's Wall, and Delphine thinks you might know where that is." John told him.

"And she would be correct, I do know where it is. But we should discuss this with her."

"Agreed, you can find her in Riverwood at the Sleeping Giant Inn." Rose told him.

"Are you not coming?"

"No, not yet. Tell Delphine we'll be there when we can." John looked at her confused, but chose not to say anything. He didn't want Esbern, who he just met, to know that he and Rose hadn't planned ahead. 

"I see. I'll tell her when I get there. It'll be so good to reunite with my old friend." He said fondly before leaving the room. When he was out of earshot, John decided the question her.

"Rose, what do you mean we're staying?" He asked.

"John, do you remember that symbol on the bill of sale we found?"

"Yeah, it was of that Karliah person."

"No, that was the insignia of the Nightingales."

"The what?"

"I'm not surprised you never heard of them, even most Thieves Guild members don't know they exist. They're a secret branch of the Thieves Guild, they serve the Daedric Lord Nocturnal, and Nocturnal blesses the Thieves Guild with good luck."

"So what do they have to do with this?"

"That's what I want to know. There's something going on here, and for Dave's sake I want to get to the bottom of this."


	14. Liars and Thieves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "'There's got to be some kind of way out of here.' said the Joker to the Thief." - Bob Dylan

John and Rose once more entered the cistern of the ratway. They approached the desk once more, Dave, Mercer Frey, and Brynjolf were all gathered around the table and discussing something. They all went silent when they saw John and Rose approaching and just stared at them. "What are you doing back here?" Mercer asked them sternly.

"We're back here to help you find Karliah." Rose told them.

"Why on Nirn would you want to do that? It has nothing to do with you."

"You're right, but Dave is my brother. I want to do this for his sake." Mercer and Brynjolf looked at Dave, who was just looking at Rose expressionless under his shades. He finally gave off a sigh.

"Rose, I think it is a really bad idea involving yourself in all this, but you are definitely the smartest person I know and would be a huge help in finding Karliah." 

"Fine. You can help." Mercer begrudgingly agreed. "We're tracking down problems we think she's involved in. Dave's going to Honningbrew Meadery in Whiterun undercover to dismantle that establishment. We also have an Argonian in Solitude who we believe is skimping out on his payments. You two can go question him about it, and report back here when you get it done." Mercer left them, and Dave went out to do his job. Rose decided to take this time to gather some more information. 

"Brynjolf, what can you tell us about Karliah?" 

"Not much to tell, she's a Dark Elf who was with the guild for many years. Then one day she goes on a mission with Gallus, the last leader, along with Marcer and Dirk. Mercer was the only one who got out alive when she turned on them. We've been tracking her down for years, but nothing really showed up until now." He explained to her.

"Where did this happen?" 

"Snow Veil Sanctum, it's a small burial crypt far up north. Mercer was sure that there was some kind of hidden treasure up there, Karliah used it as he chance to attack." 

"Oh my,"

"That's all I can really say, no one likes bringing it up."

"Well, thank you for help Brynjolf. We'll be off now."

"Alright, just be careful. She may be on the run, but that doesn't mean she isn't dangerous."

Later, John and Rose entered the large gates into Solitude. It was just as it was last time they were there. People were scattered about on their business and the city was kept clean and looking pristine. John and Rose headed back into The Winking Skeever, this time on a different mission. In a small sitting area to the side, they found Gulum-Ei, the Argonian they were looking for. They both approached him. "Do we have any business?" He asked them.

"Yeah, we're here becuase our friends tell us you haven't been keeping up with your payments." John told him. 

"Oh, oh my... this is quite hilarious. The Thieves Guild sends a Companions and a witch to do their job. Well, you can go tell your 'friends' that maybe they should do their own muscle next time." He responded calmly and near emotionlessly, if it wasn't for the slight tone of amusement in his voice. 

"Or, perhaps we should tell them that their suspicions are correct." Rose told him. 

"What suspicions?" He asked her.

"The suspicion that you've been aiding Karliah." Gulum-Ei choked on some bread he was trying to eat, and coughed it back up, a look of fear in his eyes. "Oh dear, I think I struck a nerve, perhaps I just uncovered the truth. Perhaps you are in cahoots with Karliah."

"I... I..."

"Look, we know she's back and she's working under the table against the guild. If you're holding anything out, I suggest you get it out now." There was a tense moment of silence from him.

"Tch, you're not really a part of the guild are you? No, to wise for that. Yes, Karliah has help me set up a smuggling ring here in Solitude, and thus I would lessen my payments to the guild."

"Where is she?"

"I don't know, she just said 'to the place where the end began'." John and Rose exchanged looks, both understanding what that meant. "Look, it was a mistake, please don't tell Mercer."

"We won't, you've been more than helpful." They turned to leave. "Thank you Mr. Ei." They left him there, still shaken with fear. John and Rose headed to the carriage and paid to be taken to Winterhold. From their they headed to Snow Veil Sanctum. They found the small ruins entrance not that far a walk east. It was unlocked, and they headed on inside. When they descended deeper, they found dead draugr. Recently dead draugr, someone had been through not too long ago. They watched their step as they went further. Rose had to stop John when she saw a tripwire. John tossed a rock at it and it set off a dart trap. They had to keep an eye out for traps. They encountered a couple more on their way through but disarmed them or avoided them. Eventually they came upon a dead end hallway. There was a large circular stone door with several turn tiles on it, blocking their way. "What's this thing?" John asked.

"Ancient Nordic puzzle door. You'd need to have the decorative claw to fit in the door, and show what animals need to be in what order." Rose told him. 

"Well we don't have any claw, or any way of figuring out which one since it sounds like there would be many. So now what?" Rose drew her wands. 

"Stand back." 

The door exploded violently. Rose's supercharged fireball spell broke the door into pieces that flew down the hall and split the door into pieces. There was only rubble left and the path was cleared. John was holding his arms over his head for cover and peaked one eye open after the noise subsided. 

"Jeez."

"Well we sure weren't getting through any other way." 

"I guess you're right." John led Rose across the rubble and pieces of the door and further into Snow Veil Sanctum. There was no sign of anyone for awhile and John began to get nervous. Soon they came upon a large open room, with steps heading up to decorative archway passes. "Rose, I don't like this. We're completely open for an ambush." John whispered to her." She could feel it too and decided to do something. She crouched down and used her wands, green light began emintating from them. "Rose, what are you doing?"

"Using a spell." She whispered back. It stopped and she stood up and looked up the stairs. "You can come out now, I know where you are." She yelled up the stairs. A Dark elf woman dressed in Thieves Guild apparel came out from behind one of the arch supports. She had a bow drawn and aimed at John and Rose. "You must be Karliah."

"Who are you two? Speak. Did the Guild send you?" 

"We came here to talk Karliah. Tell us everything, about what happened that day, and what the Nightingales have to do with it." Kaliah withdrew the arrow from her bow. 

"What do you know of the Nightingales?" She asked Rose.

"Only that they exist, and you used the insignia as your signature of the Goldenglow bill of sale."

"Is that how Mercer came to figure out it was me?"

"No, we beat that out of Aringoth." John told her. "Sometime strength works better than cloak and dagger."

"So it seems." She responded. "Yes, I am part of the Nightingales. There were 3 of us, Gallus, Mercer Frey, and myself."

"What about Dirk Strider?" 

"He was to be inducted into our order, the mission through these halls was meant to be his test. Instead, Mercer turned on us after promising us treasure. He killed Gallus and disposed of his body in these ruins. Dirk confronted him and met him in combat, but was slain as well. Only I escaped, and Mercer framed the whole thing on me."

"Oh my, so there was something behind this." Rose said.

"Yes, I see you were not fooled." 

"Well do you have any proof?" John asked her. 

"Only this." She pulled out a small journal. "This is Gallus' journal, but it's written in a dialect I can't read." Rose stepped forward to her. 

"May I see?" Rose extended her arm out in wishes to see the book. Karliah decided to hand it over, as these strangers were being more helpful to her than anyone had been in years. Rose opened up the pages and looked within. "Yes, I recognize this. It's ancient Falmer." 

"Then you can read it?" Karliah asked.

"No, I can only tell you that this is ancient Falmer. Makes sense since only a handful of people speak it." Rose closed up the small journal. "I have many friends over at the college, i'm sure I can get it translated over there."

"Are you sure they can be trusted?" Kaliah asked.

"Yes, i'm sure Urog, the head of the library over there would simply be happy to see something written in Ancient Falmer. In the mean time, where should we meet again?" 

"You can find me in the cellar of The Frozen Hearth in Winterhold. I'll be waiting there until you can get that translated." She turned back to where she was hiding and left them. John and Rose went out the way they came and headed for the college. 

Urog was quietly sitting at the his desk in the Arcanaeum. The door at the otehr ened opened and caught his attention. Rose once more entered with John. They walked over to his desk. "Well, back so soon are we?" 

"Hello Urog, I need to get something translated. She showed him the journal and he opened it up.

"Ah, ancient Falmer. Sadly, I can not translate this for you." He told her, handing her the book back.

"I see. Do you know anyone who does?"

"Yes, I know two sources where you can get that translated. One is Calcemo, the court wizard of Markarth. He's big into the Dwemer and their ruins, but he's fiercely protective of his work. I doubt he's just willingly going to let you see anything he has on ancient Falmer tones."

"So we'd have to steal it?"

"Probably, but I don't think you'd like the alternative." 

"Why's that?" Rose asked curiously.

"The only other person I know who can translate ancient Falmer... is your mother."


	15. A mother will do whatever is best for her children.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Lalonde family reunion.

"You can't be serious." Rose said in shock.

"I am, your mother is quite fluent in ancient Falmer." Urog told her. "She's visiting in Skyrim too." 

"She's back? For what reason?"

"Your mother is good friends with Elisif the Fair. From what I understand , she's come to visit the Jarl in this time of crisis."

"My mother... knows the rightful heir to the throne of Skyrim?"

"Yes, she's made connections to stay alive just as you have."

"So it seems..." Rose went quiet for a moment, taking the news in. She then sighed. "Fine, we'll go to my mother. It'd be easier than stealing the translation." She turned to John. "It seems as if we're headed back to Solitude." They both headed for the door.

"That's fine, I kinda like it there." He commented. 

Awhile later, John and Rose arrived in Solitude. They made their way across the city and to the Blue Palace. It was a nicely decorated building, at the end of the city. There was a wall and open metal fence gate to it, pretty much open to the public. John and Rose both entered the Blue Palace and found two guards on duty inside. "Halt, what brings you here?" One of them stopped John and Rose. 

"A woman came here not to long ago." John told the guard. "She was wearing a mage robe with the hood over here eyes, she came to see the Jarl. Do you know where this woman went?"

"Aye, she's still here. Why do you ask?"

"She's my mother." Rose told the guard. "I haven't seen her in years and I need to talk to her."

"Alright, they're both downstairs. I'll take you to them." The guard escorted them to the stairs in the back corner of the palace, they descended downstairs into a small room with a dining table and a few beds against the walls. There were two women eating at the table, one in fine clothes a crown, presumably the Jarl. The other was in white robes, with black trim around it. She threw up here hood when she heard someone coming downstairs, but John caught a glimpse of blonde. 

"Oh, excuse me Roxanne. It seems we have guests." The Jarl said to her guest. "Guard, who are these two you bring here?"

"Excuse my intrusion mi'lady, but this one here claims to be the daughter of your guest and wished to come visit." The other woman turned her head to look, her hood covering her eyes, just like Rose. 

"Rosie!" She shot up and ran over to Rose, nearly crushing her in a death grip hug. 

"Thank you soldier, you are dismissed." The guard left the room and left John and Rose to their business.

Rose was attempting to escape her mother's death hug. "Mother, c-can you please let go?" Rose's mother let go of her grip on Rose, and she could breath again. 

"Oh it's so good to see you again dear. I'm quite surprised you came here to see me." 

"So, this is your daughter then?" Elisif asked. 

"Yes..." Rose's mom put an arm around her daughter. "Elisif, this is my daughter Rose. Just as talented in magic as her mother."

"I would have guessed so." Elisif said to her friend with a smile, before turning to John. "And who might you be?" Rose's mom turned to see John, not even noticing he was there in the heat of the moment.

"I am John Egbert, my Jarl. The Dragonborn." 

"Dragonborn? Well it is an honor to have you in our city Dragonborn. Now, what brings you two here?"

"I wish to speak to my mother about something, if that would be ok with you, my Jarl." Rose said to her.

"I see. Well considering you haven't spoken in quite a long time, i'll leave you be. And please, you two can call me Elisif." 

"Thank youElisif." Rose thanked her. Elisif the Fair then left upstairs for Rose and her mother to have a chat. Rose took her hood down and faced her mother.

"I take it he knows about us?" Rose's mother asked, also taking her hood down.

"Yes, in fact he didn't even know about it until he met me. He's from the Imperial City."

"Ah, that would explain it. It's not something heard of too much outside of Skyrim. You'd have a better chance of finding a diamond and gold necklace in a burial site, than finding a Khajit in Elsweyr who knows of our cursed line." She said to her daughter. "Now what in the world brings you here? I thought you'd never want to see me again."

"Mother, I need you to translate this." She brought out the small journal. "It's very important."

"Let me see that." Rose handed her mother the journal, her mom went to the other side of the table and set it down to read, opening it up on the table. "Ah, Ancient Falmer. It's been a long time since i've seen this."

"You can translate it though, right?" Rose asked.

"Of course, it's not something i'm going to forget anytime. Now let's see..." She eyed the pages and began reading. "It's the diary of a man named Gallus Desidenius, he keeps mentioning his suspicions of a man named Mercer Frey. He believes Frey is trying to undermine some sort of guild, and that he defaced something called 'The Twilight Sepulcher'." John looked at Rose and she shrugged.

"It also says that he suspects Mercer of taking the Skeleton Key." John looked curiously at Rose one more time.

"The Skeleton Key? That can't be good." She said.

"He goes on saying that he think's Frey is unworthy of the Nightingales... and that he hopes Dirk Strider will not be the same... Rose, what on Nirn are you getting yourself into?" Her mother looked at her sternly.

"I'm not involving myself with anyone besides John, this is something i'm doing for Dave." 

"So, Dave joined the Thieves Guild then?" Rose seemed a little surprised, but tried not to show it. "Oh please Rosie, i'm not stupid. I want you to tell me the truth." Rose sighed.

"Fine, John and I had to do a job for Dave and the guild in exchange for information. We found a piece of paper with a symbol on it, and found it was traced to a Dark Elf, Karliah. When we got back Mercer Frey, the Guildmaster told us that she was responsible for the murders of the last Guildmaster of the Thieves Guild and Dirk. I knew the symbol on the paper was that of the Nightingales and decided to find the truth. We tracked her down and found Mercer Frey lied and was the one who actually murdered Gallius and Dirk. She only had the journal as proof but she didn't even know what it was written in. I could tell it was Ancient Falmer and took it to the College to get it translated. Urog pointed me to you, and told me where you were, now here we are." Rose had finished explaining her whole story, her mother just listening expressionlessly the whole time.

"Rose, that was entirely irresponsible. You shouldn't be mixing with that lot and putting yourself in dangerous situations. I expected more from someone as bright as yourself." She scolded her daughter before turning to John. "And what's your part in this?" She asked.

"Mother, John had nothing to do with this. This was my plan, he's just went along with it to help me."

"Why?"

"Because he cares about me, he's the only true friend I have out here and he's already saved my life. He found me and offered me a chance to finally clear this curse from our family. He agreed to help me because I asked, for Dave. Dirk is dead, and Dave deserves the truth. No matter how much he might irritate me or how much we fight, he's still my brother. He deserves the truth." Rose's mother was silent again. This time she sighed.

"I suppose you're right, i'm sorry. I'm just... upset I wasn't a very good mother to you. I left you when you were so young and wasn't there for you."

"Mother, i'm not angry." Rose told her. "I understand you weren't in any real position to be a parent, especially not in Skyrim. You had no real income and were hated by the locals here. You didn't want to drag me down that path with you, so you left me where you thought it would be best with me. I've known this for awhile." 

"So, you don't hate me?"

"No, I mean it wasn't easy to come face you again, but I don't hate you." Rose's mother began to tear up a little. She ran over and gave Rose another death hug. 

"Oh Rosie!" This time however, Rose gave her mother a hug too, just a little bit. John went over and took the journal from the table. Rose's mom let go of her grip. "I need to get back to Elisif, you two get this information over to Dave and the Thieves Guild right away." She walked over to John. "I thank you for what you are doing, and for helping us clear our family name. Make sure nothing happens to my daughter."

"Will do." John told her." Rose's mom put her hood back up and headed upstairs. John turned to Rose.

"You ok?" He asked.

"Yes, I was hoping to avoid any emotional confrontation, but it all worked out in the end."

"Ready to go back to Winterhold then?"

"I suppose. I just wish it wasn't so damn cold." John laughed and headed out with Rose to rent a carriage to Winterhold.

Karliah was waiting in the basement of The Frozen Hearth in Winterhold, she had payed to stay there for a night, with no question from the innkeeper. He was happy to have the extra rooms anyway. She was pacing back and forth in anticipation for John and Rose to return. She stopped when she heard the door open, and footsteps coming downstairs. John and Rose had finally come back after a long wait. "There you are, what took so long?" She asked them.

"Sorry, but they couldn't translate it at the college. I ended up having to reunite with my mother is Solitude." 

"Well, that would explain it. Did you find anything useful?" 

"Yes, Gallus had suspicions of Mercer Frey before his death, and that Mercer desecrated something called the Twilight Sepulcher."

"Nocturnal guide us." Karliah said in astonishment.

"What is it? What is the Twilight Sepulcher?" John asked. 

"It's the temple of Nocturnal here in Skyrim, and the headquarters of the Nightingales. I never bothered to go there, thinking it would be too obvious of a hiding spot."

"What's worse is Gallus believes Mercer took the Skeleton Key."

"No... this just got a lot worse."

"I'm lost, what's the Skeleton Key?" John asked.

"It's the Daedric Artifact of Nocturnal." Rose told him.

"What's a Daedric Artifact?"

"It's a physical item, attributed and left here in our realm by the Daedric princes. Each one of the 17 Daedric Princes has an artifact to them. Noctunal's is the Skeleton Key, capable of opening any lock. Volumes written on it say that in the hands of a master thief, it contains even more power. It is the ultimate thief's tool." 

"Exactly." Karliah said. "Which is why we have to stop him as soon as possible." 

"Off to Riften then?" John asked.

"Yes, we must return at once." Karliah told him.

"What's going to happen once they see you again though?" 

"We'll have to wait and see." Karliah said, feeling a bit tense at the thought.


	16. No honor among thieves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karliah returns to the Thieves Guild.

John, Rose, and Karliah were in the Whiterun hold, walking south and on their way to Riften. It was a long walk, and they were headed there from Winterhold. The path directly south was too mountainous for them, so they had to head west around Eastmarch and then up to Riften. It was a long walk, and in the middle of the day. "Guys, do we really have to walk all the way there?" John protested.

"It was Karliah's plan." Rose told him.

"Well can't we hire a carriage?" John asked.

"No, I don't trust the public carriage drivers." Karliah told him. "The guild likes to hold up by their paths and ambush them, it would be bad for all of us." John moaned and slumped down. Rose noticed something ahead.

"Or, perhaps not." She said. John looked up and noticed something rather odd ahead. It was a carriage, broken down on the side of the road, and a rather odd looking troll by it. He was wearing odd red and black jester clothing, with two large twirling horns sticking straight out of his head. He was also wearing white clown like face paint. He was staring at the broken down carriage, holding the back of his head in confusion and loss in the moment. Rose began to approach him, and John and Karliah exchanged confused glances. They followed behind her as the approached the troll. He noticed people were coming up the road and turned to Rose. "Well hey there travelers, I seem to be in a real predicament here. I was just on my way, transporting my recently deceased mother to her burial site, when my motherfucking wheel broke." He motioned down to a wheel partially of the axle and the spokes of the wheel were broken. "Could you all be of some assistance?" 

"Gamzee, it's me." Rose said to him. He looked at her for a second, confused. Then the next it hit him.

"Well hey there sis, didn't expect to run into you out here. What brings you out of your little hiding hole?"

"I've been out helping a friend lately." She told him.

"You know him?" Kaliah asked.

"Indeed I do."

"You must be with the Thieves Guild." the troll said to her. "I'd recognize that motherfucking getup anywhere."

"John, Karliah, this is Gamzee. He's the Keeper for the Dark Brotherhood." John gulped.

"D-Dark Brotherhood?"

"Relax bro, i'm not gonna motherfucking kill you or something. If Rose is cool with you, i'm cool with you."

"He doesn't seem like an assassin." Karliah said, observing his rather odd behavior. 

"Gamzee has... well a bit of a Skooma problem." Rose told her.

"Heh, ain't no problem." He said. "Killing so much can be a little stressful, the shit helps me relax. Now then, any chance I could ask for some motherfucking assistance on this?" 

"What are you carrying here anyway?" John asked. 

"I told you, it's my mother. My dear sweet Night Mother."

"The Keeper is caretaker of the Night Mother, the lady of the entity of the Dark Brotherhood." Karliah told him. "The Night Mother hears contracts preformed through the Black Sacrament, then passes it on to the Listener. The Listener passes it on to the Speaker, who then sends out an assassin to speak with the contact and complete the assignment." 

"Very good, we and the Guild have always been on good terms." Gamzee said with a sly smile.

"Gamzee, where are you headed?" Rose asked.

"Well, i'm not really supposed to say, but I guess I could tell you the hold of Falkreath. Not like you could get in the sanctuary even if you found the motherfucking place."

"Any chance you could give us a ride to Riften if we fix your carriage?"

"Well i'd be glad to help in that case, you scrtach my back and i'll motherfucking scratch yours."

"I should be able to fix this." John said. "Rose, can you help me for a second?" John used his warhammer as a hammer to get the spokes back in place, and had Rose use concentrated fire spells to bind them in place and mend broken spokes. He fixed the spokes and tightened the wheel on the axle. "There we go, just like new." 

"Well alright, climb on back and i'll give you a ride. Hope you don't mind sittin' on the box." Gamzee climbed into the driver's seat, and Rose next to him. John and Karliah climbed on the back and rode on the box with the Night Mother's coffin inside, all the way up to Riften.

"Dave." Brynjolf approached Dave in the Cistern of the Riften sewers. Dave was eating a sweetroll "Have you seen Mercer anywhere? I haven't seen him in a couple days."

"Me neither." Dave said. "I haven't seen Rose or her boyfriend since they left either."

"You don't think... she got them, do you?" Dave opened his mouth to speak, then gasped. and did not speak. His face went rather stern. "What is it, another vision?" Brynjolf asked. Dave stood up and picked his sheathed katana off the table. He drew it and put the sheath on his belt.

"She's coming." He said rather sternly. 

"What?!" Brynjolf drew his own sword as well. Vex and Delvin were nearby and saw them drawing their weapons. They then noticed the door to the cistern opened, and in walked Karliah, with John and Rose with her. Vex and Delvin drew their weapons as the four Guild members approached them. "You better have a damn good reason for walking in here with that traitor." 

"Everyone please, Mercer Frey has deceived you." Karliah told them. 

"Bullshit." Dave said. 

"You better have some proof to back up a claim like that." Brynjolf told her.

"We have this." Rose took out Gallus' journal.

"Gallus' journal? I'd recognize that anywhere." 

"Didn't he make it so no one could read it?" Vex asked.

"It was written in Ancient Falmer. John and I brought it to be translated, it says that Gallus believed Mercer betrayed the Thieves Guild and the Nightingales."

"What, did you say Nightingales?" Brynjolf asked.

"Yes, Mercer, Gallus, and I were all Nightingales. Mercer Frey betrayed us at Snow Veil Sanctum, then framed me for it."

"What about my bro?" Dave demanded.

"He was to be initiated, but Frey killed him before he was made an official Nightingale."

"So, they're real then?" Delvin asked. "And i'm guessing by betraying Nocturnal Mercer brought all the bad luck we've had upon us."

"Indeed he did."

"Who translated it?" Dave asked.

"Our mother." Rose told him. Dave scowled a bit at that.

"Are you sure what's in there is true?"

"I'm positive, she had no idea what was going on until after she read it." 

"He may have even been stealing from the guild." Karliah told them.

"Ok, now that i'm having a very hard time believing." Brynjolf said. "There's no way Mercer could get in the vault without anyone else knowing. It takes two keys to open and he only has one."

"Wait... the Skeleton Key!" John spoke up.

"What Skeleton Key?" Dave asked. 

"Well the journal said that he think Mercer took the Skeleton Key from the Nightingale temple."

"So what?" Vex asked.

"That Skeleton Key is the Daedric artifact of Nocturnal." Delvin told her. "It's capable of opening any lock."

"It's also said to have more untapped power, and is the ultimate tool for any ultimate thief." Rose added.

"Then that means in the hands of Frey..." Brynjolf began before coming to the horrible realization. They all rushed over to the other end of the cistern to open the vault. Brynjolf took out his key and Delvin used his to open the safe. They got the large double doors open and looked inside. What they saw nearly caused their hearts to stop. The vault was completely empty, all the coin, jewels, and treasure were gone. More surprising that that, is the one thing they did find inside. A man with spiky blonde hair and glowing orange eyes, sitting there atop a chest, wearing some lightweight metal armor with a cape. He flipped a single septim, the only money left in the vault. "Long time no see guys." Dirk Strider said casually for a man who hadn't been seen in two years.


	17. Eyes of the Falmer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dirk makes a reappearance, and Mercer Frey is tracked down.

"Strider, I-I..." Brynjolf was at a loss of words. 

"Surprised to see me?" Dirk asked. "I guess I have a lot of explaining to do." He tossed the gold coin to Brynjolf, who caught it mid air. 

"Bro, I... how..." Dave couldn't finish his sentence. 

"How am I alive? Well Mercer damn near killed me, I was bleeding out when he left me. However, Nocturnal saved me. I was kept in her hidden temple for the last two years, training to deal her revenge and mine on Mercer." 

"So, you spent two whole years training and preparing to take down Mercer?" Delvin asked.

"Nocturnal told me that I was not ready, I was not ready to join the Nightingales during the events at Snow Veil Sanctum, and she needed to train me."

"What about the Sepulcher?" Karliah asked.

"It was trashed when I arrived, Mercer decimated the place like it was just another target. I restored it and put things back where they were, but he still has the key." 

"I feared as much." She responded.

"Nocturnal also wants me to say you are to take Gallus' place. as our leader." 

"What? Why me?"

"Because you're the most responsible and talented. You managed to evade the guild for years and still plan your revenge. Honestly were I in your position, I probably would have just killed Mercer outright."

"Well then, I welcome you back to the Thieves Guild. Both of you." Brynjolf told them. 

"Welcome back to the land of the living." Rose told Dirk, who just then noticed her. He got off the table and walked over to her. "Well look who it is. What are you doing outside lil' sis?" He patted her head. She scowled at him.

"For the record, I was helping uncover this whole thing." 

"Really now? Well job well done. I was getting tired of waiting around." He began to walk off.

"Where are you going?" Brnyjolf called out

"To find and kill Mercer." Dirk turned back and told him. 

"By yourself?" Karliah asked in shock. 

"Yes, this is what i've been training for." He turned to leave again but stopped when Dave yelleld out. "Wait!" Dirk turned around again. 

"I'm coming with you." Dave said.

"Are you insane?" Brynjolf asked.

"Mercer needs to die, I want to make him pay." 

"Why don't the three of us all help?" John asked, motioning to Rose as well. Dirk walked over to Dave and put a hand on his shoulder. 

"Dave, I know how angry you must be at Mercer, and I hate having to leave you after I just appeared after two years.But I have to do this, Mercer is far more powerful than you, any of you." He moved his arm at John and Rose. "Only Karliah or I could stand up to him. You'd just get yourself killed. I don't really know what your friend here or Rose can do, but I can tell you it's not enough." Dirk began to leave again. 

"Hey, i'm not useless. I'm John Egbert, the Dragonborn!" Dirk stopped in his tracks when he heard those words.

"Dragonborn? That... that changes everything." 

"Rose, why didn't you mention this?" Dave whispered to his sister. 

"It didn't seem relevant at the time." Rose whispered back. Dave gave her a "Seriously?" look from under his shades that could still be seen.

"If you really are Dragonborn, then I could use your help. I need to get into Mercer Frey's house and see if I can find out where he's off to."

"You don't have any ideas?" John asked.

"The Guild has hundreds of plans all across Skyrim, he could have hit any of those locations, and we have no time to search them all. I need to get into his home and see if I can find any clues. I could use your help." 

"Fine, on one condition." John said, Dirk raised an eyebrow curiously. "Dave and Rose get to come along when we kill him." 

Dirk sighed. "You're serious about this?"

"Of course, after everything I think Dave deserves a little pay back. And Rose goes wherever i go, we stick together." Dirk was silent for a few long seconds.

"Fine, just be careful. Mercer is a lot more dangerous than you might think." 

Later that night, Volk, the single guard for Frey's property was patrolling the back yard. He held a torch to light up the yard and watch the property. John and Rose were hidden behind each wall of the back property, with the metal gate in between them. "Ready?" John whispered to Rose.

"Ready." She whispered back. Rose stepped out partially into the light, but still not revealing her face.

"Hey, you're not supposed to be here. This is Mercer Frey's property and he don't like visitors." Volk warned her.

"Sorry, i'm new to town. Know any places a girl can get a drink?" Rose tried saying in a seductive manner. It ended up working on the not so smart guard. 

"Well... The Bee and Bard has some fine liquor." He told her. He was oblivious to Dirk, jumping to the roof and then down to the balcony door above. He began picking the lock to the door. John crawled over the wall behind Vold. 

"Oh, and where is this place?"

"Why, I could show you to it sometime." Vold said grinning.

"You really shouldn't flirt with strangers." Rose stepped forward and he saw her face. "It's bad luck." He was gasped and was about to yell but was cut short by John, who applied a choke with his wrist held against Vold's throat. He pulled Vold to the ground and got his legs above Vold's arms, holding them down so he could not move. John held him there until he blacked out, then released his grip on Vold and stood up. He took the key from Vold's unconscious body and unlocked the gate for Rose. Dirk had unlocked the door and kicked the escape ramp down for John and Rose. They climbed up and headed into Mercer's house. They had a look around and searched for clues. Rose was looking around the dining room when she noticed one of the cabinets was pushed all the way against the wall. She tried to move it and found it built into the wall. "I think I found something." She called out to the others, they all came to see what it was. She opened it up and found a normal looking empty cabinet. Dirk stepped forward and examined it. He drew his elbow back, his palm open and forward. He struck the back panel and it broke into pieces, revealing a secret entrance into the sewers.

"Looks like Mercer had a little addition." Dave noted. 

"John, you come with me. You two stay here." Dirk ordered to them. 

"Why do we need to stay behind?" Rose asked him.

"This is Mercer Frey's house, I doubt he would just cover up his secret entrance. I'm sure he's got traps all over down here. You two need to stay safe." He explained. "Let's go." He and John descended down into the secret entrance. Rose and Dave begrudgingly stayed behind in the house. The stairs down to the sewers

led to a blocked off pipe, and a man made way to the left. "This way then?" John asked.

"No, that's not a normal part of the sewer. No doubt there's plenty of traps that way." He walked in front of the metal gate, blocking off the main entrance. "We better find a way to get through this instead." John stepped forward. 

"Let me handle that." Dirk stepped away to see what he would do. "Fus, Ro, DAH!" John's shout ripped the metal gate out of its hold and sent it flying. It spun down the ramp and activated a trap of several swinging axes from the walls. It also then collided with the axes and smashed the whole trap, destroying both the axes and the grate in the process. The shattered remains slid down to the end of the path. John covered his mouth with his hands in shock at the whole thing.

"Impressive." Dirk said, admiring the convenient chain of events. He headed to the sewers and to find whatever Mercer had down there. John just stared in shock before catching back up to Dirk. When he did, he found Dirk disarming a trap at a wooden door, set to go off when the door was opened. "Mercer was always careful when covering his tracks. Know he will not be easy to defeat, he is well trained and clever." Dirk managed to disarm the wire trap. 

"You think he'll be a lot of trouble?" John asked

"More than likely, especially for the other two." Dirk stood up. "I can watch Dave, but as far as Rose goes... I don't know your angle, but you better make sure she stays safe. That girl has gone through a lot in her life already." 

"I'm not here to hurt her." 

"Why did you even come to her in the first place? Not many people know of her." 

"I wanted someone trained in magic to help me with this saving the world thing. Farengar in Whiterun pointed me to her. I didn't even know her her family name until I met her, honest." Dirk sized up John for a silent and tense moment.

"You've given me no reason to distrust you thus far, so i'll believe you. Just make sure she stays safe." 

"Don't worry, i'm not going to let anything happen to her." John assured him with a slight shine of confidence. Dirk held back a smirk at this rrather goofy looking kid in armor standing there with such confidence. He opened the door and found a small room with a table and display case in it. Dirk walked over to the table and found plans left there, as well as a bowl of jewels. He helped himself to a handful then examined the plans. 

"By the 9, he's going after the Eyes!" 

"The Eyes?" John asked.

"The Eyes of the Falmer, legendary treasure left deep within one of the most dangerous Dwemer ruins in Skyrim. Those things are worth a small fortune each." 

"You know where they are then?" 

"Yes, they're deep in the ruins of Irkngthand."

"Well that seems hard to pronounce."

"Yes, but that's not the point. If Mercer gets his hands on those he'll be gone for good. We have to stop him now." 

"Wait, what's this?" John went over to the display case. Dirk walked over and looked inside. 

"So that's where he hid it."

"Hid what?" John asked.

"Chillrend, a rather impressive sword. Mercer stole it from a high class home in Solitude. Never knew what he did with it until now. It's probably kept under the best lock he could buy." Dirk turned away and began to exit. "Shame, such a nice weapon left in there to..." He was cut off by a rather loud crash. He spun around and found John had dropped his elbow straight down onto the glass and shattered it. He smashed out a few reaming pieces and took the sword out. "Hmph, never thought Mercer would overlook such a simple detail as unbreakable glass. Guess it's yours now." John put the sword on a hitch on his belt. 

"Guess so. Rather ironic he gave me a weapon to use against him."

"So it is, let's go put it to good use." 

Mercer was atop a large golden stature of a sitting Snow Elf. He was prying the second eye from its socket. He had laid plenty of traps to throw Karliah and John off, plus the Falmer would give them an obstacle. The right eye began to budge and was almost out. Dirk, John, Dave, and Rose had snuck in the entrance to the room and found Mercer prying out the final eye. He popped it out and caught it. He pocketed it while still hanging. "He hasn't noticed we're here yet." Dave whispered "Maybe if we-" Dirk threw a steel dagger at Mercer and it struck just next to his head, that caught him off enough to make him lose his grip he fell onto the collar of the statue and Dirk jumped down to the floor below. Mercer stood up and saw Dirk, standing there in Nightingale armor. 

"What the... How on Nirn are you still alive?" 

"Your own actions against Nocturnal will be your downfall. I was spared by luck and trained in the time I was gone." 

"I see... it seems as if you need to work on your stealth."

"I knew we couldn't sneak up on you. You knew the second we came in here."

"Clever, perhaps you were trained well, but you still don't have this." He pulled out the Skeleton Key.

"Hand it over Mercer..." Dirk drew his katana "...and the Eyes as well." Dave and Rose both jumped down with Dirk, both with their weapons drawn. Mercer jumped up and too kthe dagger that was thrown at him. He tossed it at a pipe and it burst, slowly spilling water into the room. 

"There, now we can all die here or you can let me walk away."

"You're not walking away from this Frey!" Dave yelled at him. "We're bringing you in for your crimes against the guild."

"With or without they eyes, that key is going back where it belongs." Dirk said. 

"You're right, it's going to stay in my pocket." Frey put it away in his pocket and drew a Dwarven sword. "Now, we're done talking."

"Not yet... John, now!" Mercer noticed John on the ledge still. 

"Yol!" John's fire shout shot across the room and caught Mercer by sheer surprise. Mercer fell down off the statue and landed in a puddle of water, which extinguished most of it. He stood up and put out the last bit on his upper arm. Dirk lunged with his katana above his head. Mercer blocked the high strike and parried back. They began exchanging slashes and blocks, elegantly attacking and defending with expert skill. The turned until they were in the center of the room, each back against the empty walls with the ledge and statue at their sides. Dirk slashed from a low sword position and Mercer and his blades locked. Dave lunged from behind and Mercer pulled out a dagger and blocked his attack. He pushed Dirk who stumbled back. Mercer used his right leg and spun on his left, trying to kick Dave in the head and he released his grip on Dave's weapon with his own. Dave stepped back and dodged the kick. John jumped down and brought his hammer straight down. 

Mercer rolled out of the way, and jumped as his roll ended. He swung his blade straight down at John in midair. John raised the back end of the handle with the heavy metal end at the ground, using the long handle to block the attack. They locked and pushed against each other's weapons. Mercer then pushed sideways to get John's hammer out of the way, and raised his own dagger to strike. He was sent back when lightning from Rose hit him and cause him to land on his side. Rose had her back to the golden statue. Mercer grunted as he got up. Rose tried shooting a fireball at him, but he jumped high above it. He landed in front of Rose and kicked her down. She landed on her rear on the ground, with her back against the statue. Mercer swung and lodged his sword deep against the leg of the statue, and against Rose's throat so if she moved forward it would kill her. She tried to push it up to no avail. Mercer turned around and gave a strong back kick into Rose's face, knocking her out. He spun the dagger in his hand and walked into the large puddle that now formed, with the other three facing him. Dirk swung first and Mercer deflected the strike, then pulled the dagger back with his elbow pointed at Dirk. He used it and struck Dirk in the face. Dave lunged again and Mercer spun away from the strike to the side. He kicked out Dave's right leg then used the back of his fist to strike the back of Dave's head. Dave fell to the ground hard. Mercer stepped behind him to finish him off. That's when John threw his hammer, it spun sideways through the air and knocked Mercer down as the hammer hit the wall and fell to the ground. Mercer tried to get back up, but John lunged with Chillred. He struck right below Mercer's hand and froze that patch of water. Mercer was trapped. He punched John in the face, and John stumbled away. Mercer then shattered the ice and freed himself but lost his weapon. Dirk lunged right in Mercer's face and brought his blade up for a straight up swing.

Mercer hopped back and dodged the strike. He then spun around and preformed a tornado kick, striking Dirk in the face. Dave held his sword low and rushed Mercer, who rolled quickly behind Dave. He held back Dave's armed hand out. He kneed Dave in the back hard and Dave went limp. He threw Dave to the ground and started dodging and John swung Chillrend at him. After thee slashes, Mercer used a sweep kick and caused John to fall on his back. Mercer snatched Chillrend up from the ground. "Think you'd use my own sword against me?" He asked. He raised to strike but was stopped by Dirk. Dirk's katana and Chillrend collided. Dirk used his superior position to lower Chillrend and struck Mercer in the gut with his elbow on his free arm. He pivoted his arm down and struck Mercer in the groin, then raised his hand up and hit him in the face. Mercer stumbled back and dropped his sword. John took the opportunity to attack and used his legs like scissors, locking Mercer's ankles and taking him to the ground. He tried to raise back up, but Dave grabbed Mercer's head and slammed it into the ground. Dirk jumped and spun with his sword. Mercer looked to see him flying through the air before finishing Frey off. Dirk's sword struck Mercer in the neck, and his head disappeared below the water, which began to turn red with blood. John let go of Frey and stood up, taking back Chillrend. Dirk searched the now deceased Mercer and Dave just knelled there panting. 

John rushed over to Rose and took the sword out of the statue. She began to come to and he helped her get up on her feet and tried supporting her. "Rose, are you alright?" She attempted to stand and managed to stay on her feet. 

"I think so, did we win?" 

"Yes, Mercer's dead." Dirk told her, taking the Eyes off his corpse. 

"I see." Rose lowered her hood, blood was coming out of her nose and down her face. 

"Oh, Rose, you're bleeding." John told her. She put her fingers under her nose and felt the blood dripping down her face. 

"Yes, that was a rather strong kick. I shouldn't be surprised. We should focus more on getting out of here before we drown." John noticed the rising water level.

"Too bad we're not Argonians." Dave joked. Dirk charged up a fireball and shot it above the statue's head. He struck a weak point in a cave wall and caused it to collapse. 

"There, now when the water rises high enough, you can get out." Dirk handed the Eyes of the Falmer over to Dave. "Take these back to the guild, it should be able to get back on its feet with the money from the eyes."

"Where are you going?" Dave asked.

"I need to return the key to the Twilight Sepulcher. Without it in its place, the guild's luck would diminish to non existent. I'll be back after that." Dirk jumped off onto the statue then up to the cave and left. The other three waited there for the water to rise high enough for them to reach the cave.


	18. Dawnguard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new threat emerges and a new adventure begins.

It was dark in the city of Riften, the citizens had gone to sleep and only the guards were on patrol. Except for John, Rose, and Dave who were all gathered by the bridge across from the main entrance. Dave was seeing them off as they were about to take a carriage to Riverwood. "I can never thank you guys enough, you've helped both me and the Guild more than you know." Dave told them. "Thank you."

"It's the least we could do Dave." Rose smiled, her eyes hidden under her hood. 

"If you ever need a favor, or need anything fenced just come meet me in the Ratway." 

"Thanks Dave, but I don't think we'll ever be turning in stolen goods." John joked.

" Hey hey, look who it is." A voice called from over by the main gate. They turned to see Gamzee coming into Riften late at night.

"Gamzee, what are you doing here?"

"I am here on business, I guess I shouldn't need to tell you who." He responded, coming over to join the group.

"You know him?" Dave asked. 

"Dave, this is Gamzee. He's a friend of mine in the Brotherhood."

"The Dark Brotherhood? Man, you are keeping all kinds of secrets from me aren't you?" Gamzee gave a small chuckled then his smile went very straight and his ears stood up. He began to growl lightly. "What's he doing?"

"I sense trouble." He said, taking out two juggling clubs. They heard guards yell and run over at the gate. Two bandits were attack, along with a third more nicely dressed Dark Elf. They began attacking the guards at the gate. The four of them rushed over to help. Dave pounced on the one bandit and dug his katana deep into the bandit's chest. Gamzee shoved the other bandit to the ground and beat him with his club. John lunged at the Dark Elf and swung his hammer, slamming it hard into the elf's face. He tried to get back up but Rose hit him with a light spell. He screamed in pain and burst into flames, then ran around on fire before John finished him with another strike to the head. "Glad that's over, thanks for the help." One of the guards said to them as they went back on patrol. 

"Was that a bandit raid?" John asked.

"No, if it was that spell wouldn't have worked." Rose told him. "Those two were bandits being controlled, that one there is a vampire." She pointed to the charred remains of the Dark Elf. John gulped.

"Vampire attack?" Dave added confused. 

"It would seem so." Rose told him.

"It's no coincidence either." An Orcish voice said behind them. They turned around and saw an Orc in strange armor with small metal plates all across it. "There have been many recent vampire attacks in large cities, they even destroyed the Hall of the Vigilantes."

"The Vigilantes were attacked?" Dave questioned in surprise.

"Aye, most of them wiped out too. They never took the threat of a vampire attack seriously, and they paid the price for it." 

"You're not some lone vampire hunter, are you?" Rose asked, wanting to know more of what was going on.

"No, i'm with a group called the Dawnguard. Our leader Isran has a fort right outside Riften, if you're interested you should go talk with him about joining up." Rose looked over at John, she could practically see the gears turning in his head.

"I think we'll do that come tomorrow." He responded. 

"Excellent, i'll met you at Fort Dawngaurd then." The Orc left the town gates and headed outside. As soon as he was gone Rose decided to question he companion's actions.

"John, don't we have a more important task at hand?" 

"I know, but i'm going to save the world and I think stopping vampires from attacking cities is a part of that duty." He responded, while Rose just gave him a stern look of disappointment. Gamzee leaned over to Dave. 

"I'm lost here, what the motherfuck is going on?" he whispered to Dave.

"John's Dragonborn." Dave whispered back.

"Cool." Gamzee replied rather enchalant. 

"I suppose there's no talking you out of this, is there?" Rose asked.

"Nope, we went on your adventure now we're going on mine." He replied.

"Fair enough." Joh walked over to Dave.

"Dave, can I get you to do a small favor? I need a letter delivered to someone in secret." 

"Sure thing, who to?" Dave said. 

"To the innkeeper at Riverwood, I need to let her know th-"

"JOHNATHAN EGBERT!" A loud yell cut him off, John cringed in fright. 

"Oh no, not him." He turned around slowly to see a very pissed off Karkat walking at him. John hadn't seen him look like that in years. 

"THERE YOU ARE, YOU MISERABLE FUCKING SHITSTAIN. YOU DON'T RESPOND TO US IN A WEEK AND I GET SENT OVER IN THIS GODFORSAKEN PLACE TO TRACK YOU DOWN, AND WHAT DO I FIND? HARELY TELLS ME YOU WENT AND FUCKING JOINED UP WITH HER FIGHTER'S GUILD AND GOT YOURSELF INTO SOME STUPID SHIT. WHAT IN THE EVERLOVING FUCK WERE YOU THINKING? YOU HAD A NICE SAFE LIFE AND JOB BACK HOME, AND YOU WENT UP HERE AND FUCKED IT UP IN A WEEK? THEN I HAD TO SPEND ANOTHER WEEK TRACKING YOU DOWN, AND FINALLY MANAGED TO FIND YOU IN THIS SHITHOLE. NOW GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER YOU MISERABLE FUCKING NOOK LICKER, WE ARE GOING BACK RIGHT THE FUCK NOW!"

"Karkat, I..."

"DO NOT EVEN START WITH ME. I AM ALREADY TIRED OF YOUR SHIT! DO YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING IDEA HOW TIRED OF THE COLD I AM ALREADY, AND..." Karkat's rant was cut off by Gamzee jumping on him and hugging him. "Gamzee? What are you... Will you get off?!" Gamzee let go of Karkat and just gave him one of his droopy smiles.

"Shit, I did not expect to see you here bro. Welcome to Skyrim."

"You know him?" John asked Gamzee.

"Yeah yeah, Gamzee and I are moirails. Big fucking whoop, don't think you're getting out of this so easy fuckass." 

"Your friend does sweat a lot, doesn't he?" Rose commented. Karkat just eyed here up.

"And who the fuck are you?" He asked her.

"Karkat, this is my friend Rose. Rose, Karkat, he works at our family forge."

"That's right, and we're going back right now." Karkat demanded.

"I don't think it's as simple as that anymore." Rose said.

"Really? Well who the fuck are you to say? And will you at least take down that stupid hood?!" He pulled her hood down and instantly noticed her purple eyes. He cringed back and gave a yelp of fear, while Rose threw her hood back up over her eyes in embarrassment. "Are you fucking kidding me Egbert?"

"Karkat, I can explain." John shot out, trying to get a word in.

"So you knew about this? Of all the stupid things you could possibly do..."

"Dude, chill." Dave tried to stop his ranting.

"I will not 'chill' you fucking pickpocket. I knew that outfit the moment I saw it, so don't think you can try your shit on me."

"Karkat..." John tried to reason. 

"You could have gotten yourself killed off doing whatever stupid shit it is you've been doing. Do you have any idea what it would be like if you died? Do you have any idea how that would affect your family you miserable writhing shitbag?"

"Karkat..."

"Then you go off with a Lalonde, do you have any idea how much fucking bad luck that is? Do you even have a brain, or is it just hollow shell? After all the stories of the shit her family causes you go and..." He was finally cut off by John picking him up by his shirt and holding him in air. 

"WILL YOU SHUT UP?! SHE'S A HUMAN BEING WITH A NAME AND FEELINGS JUST LIKE EVERyBODY ELSE, AND YOU NEED TO RESPECT THAT!" John yelled out in anger. Karkat went silent, with a look of 'what the fuck just happened?' on his face. John calmed down quickly and noticed he had created an awkward moment. The other three were equally as silent, even Gamzee's smile had turned into a look of seriousness and shock. John set Karkat back on his feet again. "I'm... sorry."

"It's fine, just... since when did you get aggressive?" Karkat brushed himself off. "I did need to be calmed down, and i'm sorry for flipping my lid like a skooma head. Now what did you mean it's not simple anymore?" 

"Well.. it turns out i'm Dragonborn." John's answer was met with an eye of suspicion. 

"Dragonborn? Like THE Dragonborn? Like Emperors of old?" 

"Yes, and with the power to destroy a dragon's soul and learn shouts just by reading their words." 

"So it's true then? The rumors about dragons returning to Skyrim?" Karkat was starting to get nervous. 

"You mean they haven't reached Cyrodil yet?" Rose asked.

"No, not a single dragon has been seen in Cyrodil since whenever they disappeared. Some soldiers coming back from Skyrim claimed to have seen dragons, but I assumed it was just a myth."

"Well they're very real. I had to kill 3 already." John told him.

"3?! Damn, maybe I was wrong about you Egbert. Does that mean you're staying here then?"

"Yes, I have to save the world from these dragons. According to what we've been told, Alduin has returned." 

"That's... not good." Karkat tried to find the words to describe how awful the situation was, but had to settle for that. "So, what are you going to do now?"

"Now, we're headed off east of Riften tomorrow to join a group called the Dawnguard. There's a vampire problem, and they're attacking major cities now. There was one here right before you arrived." 

"Vampire hunting? What about the dragons?" 

"That'll have to wait, it's my job to protect Tamriel and Skyrim. If vampires are attacking hold capitals, that can't be a good thing." Karkat went silent for awhile.

"I don't like it much either, but he's right. They wouldn't get so bold out of nowhere, and I doubt the dragons would have anything to do with it either. Vampires would be targeted just as quickly as anyone else. And considering their weakness to fire, they would die quicker too." Rose told him. Karkat eventually just sighed.

"Fine, i'll come with you. Might as well make myself useful while i'm here." He said sourfully.

"Great, we're heading out tomorrow!" John said ,his huge grin back on his face.

The next day, they headed out early in the morning, and found a small cave opening in the mountains and headed east to Fort Dawngaurd. John had Dave deliver a letter to Delphine explaining everything. They were passing through a small alley of rocks between the mountains, and they saw light nearby. The alley soon lead to a valley with trees placed around in a beautiful natural scenery, but no fort in sight. They continued along on the path through the valley, Karkat was looking miserable in the back of their group, wishing he would have stayed home. "How much farther is it?" He asked grumpily. 

"I don't know Karkat, we've never been this way before."

"I think it might be that." Rose pointed up a bit. Right behind part of a mountain they were passing, was a very large, castle like fort. 

"Wow, it's a long bigger than I thought it would be." John noted.

"It should be, this place was originally built for the son of a Jarl."

"You've heard of this place?" Karkat asked her. 

"I've read about it, yes. Back in the 2nd era, one of the Jarls of Riften had a son who became a vampire. Rather than having him killed, he had a castle built for him to live in secret. This prince got bored in his home however, and attacked the guards. They were forced to put him down. The Jarl banished all guards from Riften, but they continued to hunt vampires, calling themselves the Dawnguard. It seems someone else knows this tale and is reforming the Dawnguard." 

"You sure seem to know a lot about this." Karkat noticed.

"Yeah, she reads a lot of books. She's really smart like that." John told Karkat, which caused Rose to blush a little. She was glad Karkat was behind her and couldn't see that. They went through a gate in a wooden border put near the large fort. They heard the sound of something striking wood. They found the Orc from last night, firing some sort of device at a dead tree stump. He heard them coming up the path, and smiled when he turned and saw them. "Ah, I see you made it it. Good, and it seems you even brought help along." 

"Yeah, hi." Karkat responded. 

"You'll have to excuse him, he's rather grumpy." Rose told him. 

"Hey, what's that you're shooting with?" John asked.

"Never seen a crossbow before, eh?" The Orc responded. "I'm not surprised, it's sort of a Dawnguard specialty."

"That's pretty cool."

"It's good for putting down vampires from a distance, that's for sure. But enough about that, i'm sure you want to go talk to Isran, he's up in the fort."

"Alright, thanks uh..."

"My name is Durak." 

"Well thank you very much Durak." Rose thanked him. Durk went back to target practice, while John, Rose, and Karkat headed up the slightly winding hill to the entrance of the expansive fort. They opened the large doors to the fort, finding a large circular foyer inside, with two ment at the center. One was wearing the Dawnguard armor, the other with robes and steel plate gloves and boots. They seemed to be talking. 

"I warned you of this Tolan, but none of you took me seriously. Now look at you."

"I know Isran, you were right this whole time, and we paid the price for it." 

"I know, i'm sorry. I didn't want any of this to happen." Isran turned his attention to the three at his door. "You there, who are you? What do you want?" John stepped forward. 

"Hi, my name's John and we're here to join the Dawnguard."

"So the word is finally getting around? Good. So who are your two friends?" 

"My name is Rose, i'm a rather talented mage." Rose introduced herself.

"I'm Karkat, i'm just visiting here and thought I might as well make myself useful."

"Fair enough, we'll take all the help we can. But why are your eyes covered?" Isran asked Rose. "You wouldn't happen to be a vampire would you?" 

"Well I haven't ever drank blood in my life, and I had no trouble getting here in the sunlight."

"Funny, but it still makes me nervous. I don't take chances when it comes to vampires." Rose looked at John, giving him a signal of not knowing what to do. He just smiled at her and nodded. She (against her own better judgement) decided to listen to him and lowered her hood. "So, that's why. Well then welcome to the Dawnguard." Rose smiled a little, glad her risk gave her acceptance.

"Isran, are you sure that's a good idea?" Tolan warned him. "You've heard the stories of the Lalonde curse."

"I'm based more in facts, not rumors and legends. Besides, maybe this is her good deed to try and make up for past sins. Either way, you are welcomed. Now I have a task for you two. Tolan here founds the vampires were searching for something, tell them Tolan."

"Yes, Dimhollow Crypt up north. We don't know what's in there, but they are looking for something in there. We sent a couple men in and they never came out."

"I need you to find whatever is in this Dimhollow Crypt, then report back to me." Isran instructed them. 

"I'll meet you at Dimhollow then." Tolan said to John and Rose, seemingly out of nowhere.

"I don't think that's a good idea Tolan." Isran started . "You Vigilantes were never trained for..."

"I know what you think of us! You think we are weak, that we are unprepared. Well i'll show you otherwise." With that, Tolan stormed off and left Fort Dawnguard.

"Help yourselves to anything around the fort, I still have a lot of work to do on this place." Isran told them. "As for you, why don't you help. We can get you a weapon in the meantime as it seems you are lacking one" Isran told Karkat. 

"Fine, whatever." Karkat went along grudgingly. A while later, John exited the fort with Rose. Now he was wearing Dawnguard heavy armor (without a helmet still). He also had a Dawnguard warhammer, which was nicer than his old one, and more lethal to vampires. He and Rose were on their way to Dimhollow Crypt up in The Pale. Once they were past the wooden gates, John decided to talk to Rose about the previous night. "Hey Rose..." 

"Yes?" 

"I just wanted to say, i'm sorry about last night, and with Karkat." 

"Oh...." She said rather quietly and unsure.

"It's just, I didn't want him to upset you or anything. I mean I haven't known you that long but..." He was cut off when Rose warped her arms tight around him in a hug. 

"Thank you John, no one has ever stood up for me before." He was speechless for a moment, unsure of just what was going on. 

"Heh, it was no problem."

"John, you are truly the best friend I have ever had. Please know that." 

"I do Rose." He hugged back "I do." She broke it up soon after. 

"Don't ever tell anyone I did that, or else i'll turn you into a frog."

"Heh, well you know what they say about frogs."

"What's that?"

"If you kiss them, they turn into princes." Rose blushed and got very flustered. John had won that round, but vengeance would be hers soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I will be doing the Dawnguard DLC in this story, I will not be doing Dragonborn (I haven't purchased it yet sadly). In the mean time i'll be trying to update more often and finish when I can.
> 
> Also, would it be possible for me to ask how do I apply and create skins to change text colors around? I want to add another fic but I want to be able to make proper Pesterlogs for it, help would be greatly appreciated.


	19. Crypt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John and Rose venture inside Dimhollow Crypt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took forever to upload. I've been pretty neglectful and don't write as much as I should. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter though! I will finish this.

Two vampires stood by the fallen body of Tolan inside Dimhollow. He was slain as he tried to interrupt the vampires' work, overwhelmed just as Isran had predicted. "What a waste of time." The male vampire on the right said. 

"Still, he put up more of a fight than the others." The female on the left responded. 

"Indeed he did, but it was not enough. These Vigilants are- AGH!" He shouted in pain as he went up in a ball of flames. The female vampire stepped back in shock, John ran up behind her and kicked her leg out, offsetting her balance. He raised his hammer holding it horizontally, the large metal head was in front of the vampire. He pulled it back and she hit the ground hard. He gripped it at the end of the handle and brought the hammer down. Rose stepped down the curving path below to where the vampires were. "Nice teamwork there." She noted.

"Heh, thanks. You too." John smiled back at her. He then noticed Tolan's body lying on the ground. "Oh no, Rose look!" She looked down and saw the body of the once vigilant, face down in a pool of his own blood. 

"He should have waited for us. Isran was right, the Vigilants were never truly prepared for a vampire attack."

"Well why not?" John asked.

"They only really hunted down Daedra worshipers, they didn't do much if anything when it came down to fighting any actual monsters. He may be a bit paranoid, but I believe Isran knows what he's doing."

"Do you think he might know what we're looking for?" John asked as he pulled a level on a rock, opening a gate into a Nordic tomb that delved deeper into the mountain.

"I doubt it, if he did he would certainly tell us. I doubt he'd send us blindly into things, especially with vampires." They both walked down a set of stairs descending into the tomb. They came upon a small grotto room with a stream running through it, and a few steps up to a higher part of the room. They were quickly aware of another presence in the room, as another vampire drew a sword out. The sound of metal unsheathing made John and Rose take out their own weapons. The vampire appeared above a small set of stairs. Rose cast a fireball at her, and the vampire used a ward to deflect the spell. The ball of fire exploded in the vampire's face, but she was protected by the ward. She however, did not see John rushing in with his hammer. When the fire cleared John was already there and struck the vampire across the head with his hammer. She went flying off and landed face down in a puddle. She did not move again. John and Rose continued into the cave. They soon arrived on a balcony, overlooking a room below. There was a large circular platform in the center with decorative archways around the rim of it. There were two rock bridges on either side, allowing access across the room. On the side John and Rose were on, below them was two vampire along with a thrall. There was a fourth man on his knees dressed in Vigilant robes. "You won't get anything out of me monster, i've sworn myself to Stendarr. He'll..." His words were ended when the one male vampire cut his throat.

"Was that really a good idea Lokil?" The Female vampire questioned. John whispered to Rose while the vampires were talking below. "He may have told us something."

"It doesn't matter. We still have our mission to do and..." He stopped talking and yelled when John landed on him from above. He had his hammer upside down, and he raised it up. He use his own force and the aid of gravity to smash Lokil's head with the hammer. The thrall and other vampire ran over to stop John. 

"Feim, Zii, Gron!" John used a shout to become Etheral, unable to harm others or be harmed. The two stopped in confusion as to what just happened, standing two feet away from him. Rose acted out her part of the plan. She shot a large flamethrower like spell of flames down upon the others. The vampire and her thrall were incinerated by the flames, while john remained unharmed due to his shout. John stepped out of the lingering flames and his shout wore off. Rose descended below to him. 

"That was an excellent plan John, nicely done." 

"Heh, thanks. But what is this?" He turned to the center platform. "Do you think this is what we came for?"

"Perhaps." She looked around the room and found a small notebook by the dead Vigilant. She picked it up and began looking over it. "Yes, it seems there is something here." She said as they crossed over to the platform. "There should be a small pillar like device in the center, that is the key to opening whatever this is." John walked over to the center and found a small stand built into the ground, with a roundabout top. He placed his hand on it.

"You mean this?" He asked as she flipped through the pages. She stopped and examined something.

"John, wait!" Before he had time to react, a large metal blade shot up out of the pillar and pierced his hand. John gulped in pain, trying to hold back a scream. The blade retracted back into the pillar and John fell down. 

"OWWW, DAMN IT!" He yelled out, clutching his hand in pain. Rose ran over to him.

"That looked like it hurt."

"You think?" He retorted sarcastically. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Here, let me see." She knelt down in front of him. He held his injured hand out, dripping blood all over the floor. Rose inspected his wound, it went all the way through his hand. The blood was making hard to see, but she could tell how far it went through. "That looks bad, let me help." She reached into her small bag and pulled out a potion vial. She gave it to John's good hand and he drank it. "Better?"

"Yeah... the pain's starting to go away."

"It should, you should also stop bleeding soon. It's a healing potion I concocted myself."

"You're an alchemist too?" John asked.

"Indeed, like i've said, I had a lot of time on my hands. I learned a large set of skill in my little cabin." She stood up and noticed purple flames on the ground, coming from the pillar. They stayed in straight lines on the ground and were near a small pillar with a fire pit on the top. She noticed several other fire pillars around the room. "I think I know how to solve this puzzle. Wait here." She got up and went over to the pillar. She pushed it towards the flame and more purple flames shot along the ground and lined up with another pillar. She continued this pattern until all the pillars were aligned. John got up after she pushed the last one in place. The center of the room began to shake, and a stone sarcophagus rose from the center. John and Rose approached it cautiously. Half of it opened up, revealing a woman inside. She was wearing some odd black and red dress that was similar to the armor the other vampires wore. She had long black hair, with two braided bands around the back of her head. She began to fall out but quickly re-balanced herself, just nearly saving herself from falling. She noticed there were two other people in the room with her. 

"Who are you? Who sent you?" She asked them groggily but weary. 

"We were sent by a man named Isran." John told her.

"That name doesn't sound familiar. I was expecting someone like me." 

"Are you a-" 

"Vampire, yes." The woman finished for Rose.

"There were other vampires in here looking for something, was it you?" Rose asked.

"Probably, and I doubt they just gave up and left." 

"To be fair, they attacked us first." John put in. "But you haven't done that yet so we're ok." 

"I see... well if you're not going to attack me, perhaps you can help me. I need to get back home and I could use someone to help me getting there." 

"Where do you live?" Rose asked. 

"My family lives in a castle northwest of Solitude." 

"Sure, we could get you there!" John told her with a smile. 

"Great, my name is Serana by the way." She stepped out of the sarcophagus.

"On your back..." Rose said with slight shock "Is that?..."

"And Elder Scroll, yes. and it's mine." John and Rose stood there, mouths open in amazement.

"Why do you have an Elder Scroll?" Rose asked. 

"It's... a long story. I'd rather not go into it."

"That's fine. Come on, we should head out." John told them. Serana followed the two of them out the way they came. When they finally exited the cave, Serana put her hood up to block out the sun. 

"It feels so good to be outside again." She said. "Even in this weather." 

"How long were you in there anyway?" John asked as they went on the path down the mountain. 

"I don't know really. Who's Skyrim's High King?"

"That's a matter up for debate actually..."

"A war of succession then? Glad to see the world didn't get boring. So who are the contenders?" 

"The Stormcloak Rebels support their leader Ulfric, while the Empire supports Elisif."

"Empire? What Empire?" John and Rose both stared at her, acting like comment gave her three heads.

"The.. Empire. From Cyrodiil."

"Cyrodiil is the seat of an empire?" She asked.

"Yes, and it has been since the end of the Second Era. for the record we're in the Fourth Era." 

"Wow... I guess I was gone longer than I though. Longer than we planned anyway." The group of them had finally reached teh bottom of the mountain the cave was located on. 

"We should head to Dawnstar." Rose instructed. "We could rent a boat to the west then." 

"Sounds better than walking." John agreed to her plan.

They soon arrived in the small town of Dawnstar, capital of the hold The Pale. There was a large indent of water making a lake in the center of the town, with a few boats floating around. They headed down to the shore to rent a boat. They approached a small row boat sitting by the side of the shore. There was a man there waiting to ferry people. This was their ride to the castle. "Need to go somewhere?" The ferryman asked as they approached him.

"Yes, we need you to take us to a castle north of Solitude." John responded.

"The one on the island? Don't you know that place is cursed? Not even seasoned sailors go near it." 

"Look, it's really important we reach that island. We'll even pay extra." 

"Fine. There's a dock with a boat right across from the island. That's as close as i'll take you and it'll cost you extra." 

"Fair enough." John paid the man his coin and the three of them climbed aboard to ride. 

When they finally reached the island, it was misty and eerie. The castle through all the fog made John and Rose feel rather unwelcome. "Hey, before we head inside..." Serana started.

"What is it?" John asked.

"I just wanted to thank you for taking me all the way here."

"Hey, it's no problem."

"Also, I want to ask that you mind yourself in there. You two might not be the biggest fans of vampires, but please don't cause any trouble."

"We certainly had no plans to do any such thing." Rose assured her.

"Good, then let's head inside. It's freezing out here." They headed up the bridge to the castle, with John commenting "It's always freezing here." There was an old man guarding the gate, not a vampire himself but guarding those who dwelled inside, hiding from the sun. "Who's there? Who are you?" The guard demanded at seeing three figures approached. "Serana? Is that you? i'll open the gate at once." He pulled a lever down and the metal gate to the entrance opened up.

The inside of the castle was very elegantly decorated, there was a small foyer with stone floor and two gargoyle statues on either side of the door. There was an elfish vampire by the door to greet them. "What are you doing here? How dare you trespass here!" He then noticed Serana was with them. "Lady Serana? Oh this is great, i'll tell the others." He rushed over to the stairs to alert the other residents. "Everyone, Lady Serana has returned!" 

"I guess i'm expected." She led them down the stairs and into the fancy castle. There were many vampire gathered around tables, there were two on each side parallel of each other with a head table laid out horizontally. There was a vampire wearing more elegant armor with a cape, similar to that of Serana's costume. John and Rose thought he must have been the head vampire. "Serana, you've returned." He greeted her. "And you brought my Elder Scroll, excellent."

"Is that really the first thing you ask about? Your scroll?"

"Of course I am happy to see you again daughter. Must I really say it aloud? Ah, if only your traitorous mother were here. I would put her head on a pike." He said that last part rather coldly. "So tell me, who are these strangers you've brought to our hall?" 

"Father, theses are my rescuers. They brought me back here." 

"For my daughter's safe return you have my thanks. Now tell me, what are your names?"

"My name is John." John introduced himself accordingly.

"And i'm Rose." She did likewise." 

"You may call me Harkon, I am lord of this court. I'm sure by now my daughter told you what we are." 

"Yes, you're vampires." John acknowledged. 

"Not just any vampires, we are some of the oldest and most powerful vampires in all of Tamriel." 

"Well we knew she must have been from at least the early 2nd era, but in all of Tamriel?" Rose asked. "Are you by any chance vampires with direct lineage?"

"Very astute, yes my daughter and I received our powers straight from Molag Bal." 

"Wait, Molag Bal?" John was confused. "Vampires come from Molag Bal?"

"Yes, it is not a very well known story these days. Now then, there is still the matter of your reward. I have but one thing to offer you that is as precious as my daughter and my scroll. My own blood, take it and you will walk as a god among men."

"You mean... become a vampire?" Rose wanted to confirm.

"Yes. Perhaps you need a little more convincing. Behold my power!" Harkon cringed over and became surrounded by blackness. He then transformed into a large man bat creature with grey skin, black eyes, and fearsome talons. He had become a Vampire Lord. "This is the gift I offer you, take it or be cast out amongst the mortals."

"...Excuse us for a second." John responded. He and Rose huddled together. "I think this is a bad idea." He whispered to her.

"Agreed. We should get back to Isran and let him know what's going on." The two of them broke up their huddle and turned to answer Harkon. "Our apologies, but we do not wish to become vampires." 

"So be it. I will spare your life, but only this once. From now on you are prey, just like the other mortals. I banish you!" He cast a spell upon them and they faded to black. They both woke up on the shore by the castle. John got up first and helped Rose to her feet.

"Well that wasn't as fun as I thought it would be." John commented.

"No, it certainly wasn't. But we must return to Isran, if they have an Elder Scroll things can't be good." And with that, they took the rowboat back and headed back to Fort Dawnguard.


	20. Rebuilding the Dawnguard

After a walk to Solitude, then carriage ride to Riften. John and his magical companion Rose were on the path back to Fort Dawnguard to report back to Isran. When they had finally reached the fort, they noticed something was wrong. There were bodies scattered all over the ground, they were vampires. There were many bodies fallen all along the path up to the fort. When they got close, they found Isran and Karkat outside. Isran was in some sort of magical field that was glowing bright yellow.

"There you two are!" Karkat shouted when he noticed them. Karkat was properly outfitted, now wearing the armor of the Dawnguard (minus a helmet). Isran's spell disappeared and he approached them.

"So what did you find out? What were the vampires looking for?"

"They were searching for a woman." John told him.

"A woman? What was so special about this woman?"

"She was the daughter of a leader of very powerful and old vampires. Like super old."

"We found out the leader and his daughter received their powers directly from Molag Bal, so these aren't just common vampires." Rose added.

"Great, so we're in for more than we first thought. What did you do with this vampire when you found her?"

"We took her back to her home to find out more." John responded.

"Fair enough, is there anything else?"

"Yeah... they have an Elder Scroll."

"What?! And you didn't take it?"

"Well, we really couldn't." John stammered, embarrassed for not thinking of that earlier.

"Plus that wouldn't have been very wise, being in the vampires' nest." Rose added.

"Fair enough."

"Wait wait wait, hold up here." Karkat shot in. "So first off, you're telling me vampires come from Molag Bal, THE Molag Bal? The Daedric Prince of conquering mortals."

"That's right, he's the patron deity of all vampires. You don't want to know how, believe me." Isran told him.

"And these vampires, they get their power directly from him, making them more powerful already. AND on top of that, they have and Elder Scroll?"

"That is correct." Rose responded.

"Great, that's just fucking great. So now what?"

"Now, we need to start getting more help. We can't take on this menace with the force we have now." Isran responded.

"You mean like, advertising?" John asked.

"No, word of the Dawnguard is getting around plenty right now. We're getting new recruits every day, no I have something a bit more specific in mind. Some old friends who would be of great help." He turned to John and Rose. "You two, I need you to go to The Reach. Look for a woman named Sorine Jurard. Smart Breton girl, very interested in studying dwarven technology. She was looking into some new crossbow designs that might help." He then turned to Karkat. "I need you to travel to The Rift, look for a big brute of a Nord named Gunmar. he has experience with training animals, trolls in particular. Now both of you, go to it."

A while later, John and Rose came up to the top of a large hill in the Reach. There was a woman by a small pillar below them, studying some notes she had quickly written down. "You think that's her?" John asked.

"Only one way to find out." Rose walked down the hill, John started to follow after he caught her meaning (which was about 3 seconds). "Excuse me!" Rose called out as they approached. Sorine turned around quick at the sound of someone shouting. "Hello there."

"Yes, what is it? I'm very busy with my research." She responded, turning back to her notes. Rose finally reached her with John following shortly.

"Are you Sorine Jurard?" Rose asked her.

"Yes, why? Who wants to know?"

"My name is Rose, and this is John."

"Hey!" John waved to her.

"Isran sent us."

"Isran? No, he made it pretty clear last time he didn't need my help. Probably trying to get his Dawnguard together I imagine."

"He is, and he thinks we could use your help." Rose told her.

"Yeah, he said you might know something about a new crossbow design?"

"I might, but I don't think he needs my help." She got up and put her notes in a small bag.

"We do." John said. "We're up against a really powerful ancient vampire clan."

"Huh, really? I mentioned several scenarios of vampires becoming more threatening to Isran and he shrugged them off." She responded as she turned to them.

"Did any of them involve the vampires having an Elder Scroll?" Sorine dropped her guard after hearing that.

"I... no... This is worse than anyone could have predicted. But I can't just pack up and leave all my work behind."

"Well is there anything we could do to help?" John asked.

"There is. I had a knapsack full of Dwemer gyros. But some mischievous mudcrabs stole it. If I had just one gyro, i'd be able to take my work with me."

"Can do!" john responded. "We'll search the shores of the river nearby for your gyros."

* * *

 

_Elsewhere..._

"Hey." Karkat spoke rather loudly to a large Nord hiding behind a rock. He was dressed in scaled armor with a steel axe at his side. "Are you Gunmar?" 

"Shhhh." The Nord pulled Karkat down behind the rock. "Don't be so loud. I've been tracking this bear for weeks and I don't need him knowing i;m here."

"Why are you after some bear?" Karkat whispered.

"He's killed two children and a woman, he has to be put down. What are you doing here?" 

"Isran sent me to find you."

Isran? What does he want with me?"

"He wants you to help train animals for the Dawnguard or something."

"Why? How bad is it that he's calling me up for help?"

"Well, we're up against vampires that get their power straight from Molag Bal apparently. Oh, and they have an Elder Scroll." 

"By the eight." Gunmar spoke louder, then realized it and hushed his tone again. "Fine, i'll help. But help me slay this animal first, he can't harm any more people."

"Fine, let's just get this over with." Karkat took out his new silver sickle and Gunmar drew his axe. The both began to silently walk over to the cave. Once inside, they found a large sleeping bear in the center with a human skeleton in the corner. Gunmar began to sneak up, but accidentally stepped on a bone of a dead skeever that was left there. The bear woke up at the snap and looked towards the entrance. He got up and roared at the intruders in his cave. Gunmar rushed the bear and slashed at its face. The bear retaliated in pain, standing on its hind legs and swinging. Gunmar ducked to avoid getting struck down by the large bear. Karkat rushed in and stepped up on Gunmar, launching himself into the air with his sickle above his head. Then bringing it down.

* * *

A small knapsack fell in front of Sorine, who was sitting on a small boulder. "We found your bag, it was just down there. Now will you be wiling to help us?" John asked. 

"A deal's a deal." Sorine picked up her bag. "Thank you for this, these should be plenty to continue my work." 

"Great, now let's head back. It'll be a long trip." Rose noted as they departed. 

When they finally got back to Fort Dawnguard, they found the central entrance room was barred off with gates. Karkat and Gunmar were waiting inside, both of them were covered in blood. "Sorine? What are you doing here?" Gunmar asked as the second group came into the light of the center. 

"I came here because Isran said he needed my help and sent these two to find me. I'm assuming he wants your help as well."

"Aye, but I have no clue where he's at."

"Up here!" Isran shouted from the balcony above. A bright light shined down upon the center of the room and those below.

"Isran, what's going on?" Gunmar asked.

"Just making sure it's safe, you can never be too careful. Welcome to Fort Dawngaurd. I brought you both here because you both have skills that can be of service. Sorine, I need you to start tinkering with that new crossbow design you were working on. Gunmar, there's a large enough area for you to pen some trolls. Get to it. As for you two." He looked down at John and Rose. "You're going to come up here and we're going to find out why this vampire came here looking for you. 


End file.
